Contract
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: AU. Can what started as a business arrangement lead to something more? -Rated for Sexual Content-  Akito x Natsumi  Note: An OC story
1. Interface

**Contract**

_Chapter One_

_-Interface- _

"I'm sure that there was just a lot of traffic getting down here." A young woman with long ebony hair said, giving the group a smile. There was a gathering of six people, all sitting in the massive living room of the one and only Uchiha Akito. It was a magnificently simple modern home. The room was large, with white marble walls. Specks of black granite littered throughout the stone, giving it a bit of pizzazz. The furniture was angular and black, giving the whole place a nice sleek look.

The back wall was made of all windows, giving a wonderful view of the backyard, which matched in style, and the Pacific Ocean. The redhead next to her gave her a skeptical glance, rolling his dark jade eyes that were slightly shadowed from his troubled sleeping. He was dressed in black slacks and a long sleeved button down shirt that had a vertical line design to it, with a black tie. "A lot of traffic from Bel Air? She said that she would be here at one and it is…" he trailed off, twisting his wrist so he could get a look at his Rolex. "Two forty five."

She looked off, folding her hands in her lap. She had on a modest grey dress that scooped down and stopped just above her knees, but didn't reveal any cleavage. She wore a royal purple sweater over the dress that she didn't button, since she had a thick silver belt fastened around her waist.

Another couple was situated on one of the other sofas, looking more than irritated. There was an older redhead and a pink haired woman, both glancing at one another. The redhead turned his gaze to the other pair, two men who looked very similar to one another. He focused on the elder and bowed his head apologetically. "I am sincerely sorry Sasuke. I told her it was at one." The woman beside him nodded. She was wearing a white dress that fit her perfectly, showing off her form. It stopped just past her knees and was sleeveless, but connected to a beautifully decorative neckline that went around her neck.

"Yes, well…" The dark haired man said sharply, leaning against the back of the sofa. He didn't really have anything to say, he was just irritated that he had to wait. He was wearing a navy blue polo shirt, accompanied with khaki slacks. His dark onyx eyes scanned over the windows, since his back was to the entrance of the room. The other male just stared off, looking bored out of his mind, though there was no emotion portraying on his face.

Minako simply sighed until they all heard the front door close. "Now…Akito…just keep in mind…at least she's pretty." She smiled, looking extremely nervous, since she knew her friend better than anyone else in the room. The younger Uchiha arched a curious brow, wondering why he was receiving this warning. Gaara and Sakura stood, the elder glaring at his daughter in a threatening manner.

"You're late."

"Yeah, well at least I'm here." She snapped. The others stood and Sasuke and Akito turned around, taking in the sight. Sasuke looked absolutely baffled. There in the doorway was a pink haired parade. She was dressed in tight flared jeans with a few tears along her thighs, and a tight black V-neck shirt that revealed some of her flat stomach. Her hair was ruffled, as if she had just gotten out of bed and quickly run a brush through it. She still looked absolutely gorgeous, with perfect proportions and a killer figure that was desired by most. Her pale jade eyes matched that of her father's, while the rest of her looks were similar to those of her mother's. She handed her jacket to the butler and walked in as if it were completely casual to show up to a gathering two hours late. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Absolutely nothing, since we were waiting on you to show up." Sakura said, her tone indicating that she was not happy in the least with her offspring.

"Hn." Akito gave her a once over and then faced forward once more, not particularly impressed. Minako was right, at least she was pretty. Although, he didn't see how this was going to work very well, if she couldn't dress properly for certain occasions. He was taking over his father's company after all, and aside from that, he was a well-known figure in his own field of business.

Minako hurried over to her, giving the rest of the group a smile. "Well Natsumi, I brought your clothes for you, since you wanted them to be dry cleaned, and you were so busy yesterday with…um…helping…orphans. Yes! Orphans, that you forgot to pick them up. Ok well we are going to get her ready and everyone can just converse, we won't take long. We'll be down before lunch is ready…again." She laughed awkwardly, dragging her friend off to one of the guest bedrooms where she had her things.

Gaara just groaned into his hands, trying to keep a reign on his anger. He was going to have to have a long talk with his daughter later, even though it wasn't going to do any good. "I…am so sorry. She usually isn't like this…" he paused, realizing his lie. "Yeah…"

"Guess she gets her attitude from you my friend." Sasuke said, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a rare form of expression, showing that he was teasing the redhead. He just gave his friend a small hint of a smile.

"Yes well…she's very strong willed."

"What's the big deal? I was only a couple of minutes late." Natsumi huffed as Minako raked a brush through her hair and started straightening it.

"No, you were almost two hours late." The long haired woman corrected, fluffing the freshly brushed hair to give it the volume she knew her friend liked. "Your parents are not happy in the least."

She glared at Minako, since she was facing the mirror. "I don't care. They're lucky I'm not moving across the country for this." She snapped, getting up, seeing she was done and walking over to the bed, picking up her clothes. She went into the bathroom and slammed the door. Minako sighed, shaking her head with a small frown.

When she came back out, she was dressed properly for the occasion. She had on a white button up shirt with short sleeves that tied in a bow on the ends. It was tucked into a high, black pencil skirt that came up to the top of her hips and stopped just above her knees, with a slit up the back that stopped a bit away from her rear. Her shoes were a pair of black pumps, the heels about three inches high. "You know, Akito isn't really that bad. Once you get to know him, he's really nice." Minako said, trying to make her friend feel better about the situation.

"Yeah whatever." She rolled her eyes, running her fingers up through her hair. "He told me I was a freak when we were little, and it doesn't look like much has changed. So who cares? At least he's hot."

"Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it." The ebony haired woman said. "I just think you should give this a try before writing the whole thing off based on the past and what you've seen. I mean, how bad could it be?"

* * *

><p>Natsumi and Minako walked back out, all eyes turning to them, but mostly Natsumi. Sakura let out a relieved sigh, making a mental note to thank Minako later for her save. The dark haired woman made her way back to her husband and took his offered arm.<p>

Toshiro leaned down, whispering into her ear. "Thank you so much honey. You're a life saver."

"You're welcome. I had a feeling other clothes would be needed." She whispered back, smiling up at him.

The younger pink haired woman took in a deep breath and walked up to the elder Uchiha, offering out her hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again Mr. Uchiha. Sorry I was late."

Sasuke stood and shook her hand. "Hm. Just call me Sasuke." He said.

"Alright." She nodded and then glanced past him at the bored looking man, who wasn't paying any of his guests any mind.

Sasuke turned and gave his son a sharp look. "Akito." He said sternly, getting the other man's attention. The younger Uchiha stood and walked over to his father, placing his hands in his pockets. Turning to face the pink haired woman in front of him, Sasuke said, "Natsumi, this is my son, Uchiha Akito."

"I think she knows my last name father, since it's going to be hers." Akito said, looking from his parent to Natsumi.

She just rolled her eyes, focusing back on Akito. "I see you're as rude as ever."

Sakura smacked herself in the forehead, repressing a groan. "I see you're as narcissistic as ever." He said. "Since apparently you can't read the numbers on a clock, or take into consideration that the world does not revolve around you."

"Oh it doesn't? Sorry, I guess I must have missed the memo and apparently everyone else did too, aside from you." She pointed out, setting her hands on her hips in a challenging manner.

He smirked, taking his hands from his pockets and crossing his arms. "Oh we all knew about it, but unlike you, we consider others, and so decided to wait for you to show up. But, at least now you know, and so have no excuse for your tardiness other than the fact that you're lazy."

She just smirked. "Well here's the good thing, _darling_, I'm not the one with a reputation to uphold. Since I could honestly care less, so really it's not my problem. I'll be as lazy as I want."

His forest green eyes narrowed at her threat. If she cost him his clients or image, he would strangle her. He had worked too hard to establish himself separately from his father and family to let it all go down the drain because of some girl with freaky hair.

Just then the butler came in and announced that lunch was ready, causing everyone to go into the formal dining room where everything was set up. Wanting to change the subject so that her daughter wasn't making things worse, Sakura smiled across the table at Sasuke. "So Sasuke, how are things with the company lately?"

"Very good. We have been doing better this year than in past ones, and once Akito takes over our basis of clientele will nearly double from his own office." The elder Uchiha said.

They all sat down then, with Sasuke at the head of the table with Akito on his right and Gaara on his left. Sakura sat down next to her husband and Natsumi regrettably sat next to Akito. Minako took a seat beside Natsumi and Toshiro just situated himself beside his mother and across from his wife. "What is it that you do again?" Natsumi asked, not bothering to give the man beside her a glance, but it was obvious she was asking him.

The butler came out, placing the bowls of salad in the center and then giving everyone their individual bowls of soup. "Enjoy," he bowed out, leaving them to themselves. Natsumi reached forward and grabbed the bowl of salad and placed some on her plate, beginning to eat, actually deciding to use proper table etiquette.

"I'm a lawyer." Akito said, breaking up some crackers to place in his soup.

"Uh huh." She said, rolling her eyes once more. So he was one of _those_ guys. "So…you're a liar." She asked, finally looking over at him.

He glanced at her as he mixed in his crackers. "Ch. I have never had to lie in order to win a case, but think of it however you wish, I don't care." He said, looking back to his soup.

Gaara cleared his throat, swallowing before he spoke. "You know Akito, Natsumi has a Ph.D."

"In what?" he asked, looking at the redhead as he took a bite.

"Cardiology and Pulmonology. She specializes in surgery." He replied, getting a scolding look from his daughter.

Akito gave the man a skeptical look. "And yet she doesn't work."

"She did for a while." Sakura chimed in, trying to save face for the younger pink haired woman.

"So she quit." The younger Uchiha said, wanting to grasp the situation.

Natsumi decided it was time to interject. "Yes. I didn't want to work anymore. I already made more than enough money and if I wanted to go and do it again I could. Simple as that." She said quickly, looking grim.

Toshiro just watched his sister before speaking. "But she was very good."

"I'm sure." Was all he said, moving his bowl out of the way so that his food could be set in front of him.

The rest of the meal went pretty smoothly, since Akito and Natsumi hardly said a word to one another. Finally, dessert was brought out and offered and they all ate in silence, until Sakura tried to liven up the mood. "I remember when you were all little, you were all so cute. Natsumi, do you remember the first time you met Akito? He was the most adorable little boy, just like my Toshiro." She smiled.

Natsumi's gaze slanted into a glare. "Yes mom. I remember. He said my hair was a freaky color and that I looked like a raccoon."

"You still do." Akito said with a smirk.

She set her hand down, placing her fork back in its place on the setting. "Excuse me?" she asked, turning her body to give him a full on glare. Before Akito could open his mouth and burn another bridge, Sasuke coughed and looked to his son.

"Akito. Didn't you have something you were going to give Natsumi?"

"Oh yeah." He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small black box made out of velvet. "Here." He sat it in front of her, not really caring. Gaara and Sakura almost fell forward, the lack of chemistry between the two was almost unbearable.

Natsumi picked it up wordlessly, opening it to see a beautiful diamond engagement ring. The band was made out of white gold, with a large, round diamond in the center. Surrounding it were tons of smaller diamonds in two bands. They crossed in the front, and the line continued down the front of the ring. There were also two lines of diamonds going down the sides of the ring, so that the entire thing sparkled when held in the right lighting. It was large enough to draw attention to it, but small enough to be considered elegant and not gaudy. For Natsumi, it was the perfect ring.

Despite how beautiful the ring was, it looked condemning, especially since he had just handed it to her as if he were giving her something as simple as an address. "Thanks…" she said, pulling it out and placing it on her finger, examining it further.

"It looks lovely." Minako said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I guess." She sighed, placing her hand back in her lap. "If you'll excuse me." She moved the chair back and set her napkin down, walking out of the room as quickly as she could.

Sasuke hit his son over the back of his head, causing him to glare at his father. "What?"

"Idiot." Was all he said.

Holding in a sigh, Akito stood from the table and followed Natsumi's path from the room. He looked around, and found her on his back patio. Opening the door, he walked out and stopped just a ways behind her. She was standing near the edge, just before the grass, holding the ring between her fingers, watching it sparkle in the sunlight. "What's wrong?" he asked, genuine concern seeping into his voice.

She glanced back, hearing his voice and replaced the ring on her finger, before she turned around. "Nothing is wrong." She said, keeping her voice even. "I just needed get some fresh air."

"Natsumi, the reason I'm a good lawyer is because I can read people really well." He told her. "And, if we're going to be married, it would be best if you just told me straight up when you're upset. It would make things easier."

A small, but dark, smile crept up her features. She walked up to him and stopped, staring up into his face. "Okay." She paused, leaning closer. "I don't want to marry you. At all. And the last thing I am going to do is make anything easy for you, jerk." She moved around him then and went back inside, not wanting to hear any clever retort he may have had.

His brow creased as he watched her go back inside, and was still there when he re-entered the dining room and joined everyone once more. He didn't really understand what he had done wrong. It wasn't like he wanted to marry her either, but it was what his father wanted, and it would bring together his father's company and Gaara's. And he wasn't going to go out of his way to make her life miserable, he was going to try and make her happy. Because eventually they would have to have children and he wanted them to get along, for the kids. He personally never met his mother, but he knew they were important in a kid's life, and so wanted them to grow up without parent issues.

"So Akito, when do you want us to send Natsumi's things over?" Sakura asked. For her entire life she had lived with her parents, but now that she and the young Uchiha were engaged she could move in with him.

"Whenever is convenient for her, just let me know the date and time so that I'm present while the movers are coming in and out." He said.

"Why not tomorrow?" Gaara asked, placing his napkin down, since he was finished with the meal.

Natsumi went a bit wide eyed, "Tomorrow…but that's like…less than twenty four hours away."

Toshiro gave his sister a sympathetic look, "Sumi, the sooner is usually the better."

"The sooner the better? This isn't happening to you Toshiro! You have no idea how I feel about this!" she snapped, actually yelling and making them all look slightly surprised. She stood up once more and headed back for the room. "I gotta get out of here." She said, mostly to herself. She changed back into her clothes quickly, walking out and taking her jacket and keys from the butler. Minako ran up to her, looking as if she was having a panic attack.

"Natsumi, what are you doing?"

"I have to leave Minako or I'm going to go crazy." Natsumi said seriously, walking out the front door with her friend on her heels. The valet had already brought her mode of transportation to the front of the house and was holding her helmet out to her. She pulled on her jacket and then took the protection. She got onto her red Ducati Superbike and started the engine, glancing over to see her brother and even Akito beside her friend. "I'm not backing out." She informed him, "I'll be here tomorrow. But I have to go." She put her helmet on then and took hold of the handles, shooting off before anything more could be said.

Akito sighed and looked at his best friend. "I still don't think this is going to work." He said.

Toshiro just shook his head and placed his hand on Akito's shoulder. "I think things might get tolerable after she gets moved in and you guys are forced to be with each other all the time." He smiled, trying to show the Uchiha a slightly brighter side. "Hey, why don't we got to The Infinity tonight and get something to drink. It'll help you relax."

"Why not? I need a drink after this terrible day." He said, smiling humorlessly.

* * *

><p>Toshiro and Akito sat at the bar, waiting for their drink orders. "Well…think of this. At least you're getting married and you'll have a nice trophy wife."<p>

"I guess. But it'd be a hell of a lot easier to just find some simple minded woman to hang off my arm for business events instead of having to be with someone who doesn't even like me." Akito said.

"But this way, at least you know she's not after your money." He pointed out, giving him a small smile. His dark jade gaze shifted and then locked back on his friend's deep green. "Well if you're looking for some pretty little thing to hang off your arm, there's three right over there who can't stop staring at you."

Someone sat down on the other side of Akito at the bar. She had golden blonde hair and a tight black dress that clung to her every curve and dipped low, giving him a nice view of her perfect and large breasts. "Hi, my name's Karen." She said, biting down on her lower lip as she traced her manicured nail down his arm. "You look pretty bored over here by yourself."

Akito looked over at her, his gaze still impassive. "Hm." He said. "Sorry, but I just got engaged today, so you're out of luck." He told her.

She frowned, giving him a small pout. "If you just got engaged, then how come you're here with your friend instead of with her? Hm?" she asked, arching a delicate brow.

"Cause' she doesn't like him." Toshiro pointed out for the woman.

"What is she, stupid? Because I don't see anything that's not to like." She said, obviously checking him out.

Akito frowned slightly. "Regardless, you efforts to gain my attention are futile, so you might as well move along." He told her, facing forward as his beer was set in front of him.

She made a face and got up, walking off, obviously pissed her attempts had failed. Toshiro took the handle on his own glass, downing the contents. "What did I say, if you aren't getting any, you have plenty to choose from."

He sighed. "I'm not really the type to cheat, regardless of the fact that we don't really like each other or want to get married." He took a drink. "And I can't believe you're trying to encourage me to cheat on your own sister."

Toshiro just rolled his eyes, "I'm just saying Akito. You're my best friend, and having sex with Minako really takes a lot of the stress off, and it's so nice. A man needs to have sex. We just have to. And my sister is crazy, so if she doesn't like you, why would she care where you get it? You're just one of the unlucky ones who didn't get to marry for love."

Akito pointed at his friend. "Yes, but because she is crazy, if she ever finds out about my trysts, which most likely, she will, she'll go berserk and be all hurt and stuff, and it will be all my fault. You know it's true. And then she'll go crying to your dad, and he'll get mad at me, and I would rather not have to deal with all that crap." He said. "Besides, we'll have to have kids eventually, in order to have someone to take over the company, and so I'm sure at some point in time we'll have sex. Maybe."

"Well, you know how these days they have that invitro fertilization thing. So…you never know. I hope all the sex you had before now was worth it. Cause' if you're going to be faithful, it's going to be a _long_ time before you get it again and that's only if." He snickered and finished off his drink, ordering another. "God that would be horrible."

"My life sucks." The young Uchiha whined, hitting his head on the counter. Then he sat up and downed the rest of his beverage, ordering something a bit stronger. "I don't get it. Tons of women think I'm attractive, and I know I am, but your sister doesn't seem to be affected by it at all. Every woman is in some way or another, I mean, just look at me." He said, gesturing to his form. "I'm one of the best things on this planet." He smirked.

Toshiro snickered and raised his glass to him as he received his new drink. "I do have to agree my friend. You could have any woman you wanted in a crowd unless she were married and very strongly committed to the man. I don't doubt you could get someone to cheat on their husband, but you," he pointed, "have never had to woo someone who is on equal ground. She's from a rich family, and you know we all think we are the center of the world. She's smart and witty, and she's just as good looking as you. Nor does she have insecurities that you can play off." He paused and took another drink before continuing. "This, my friend, will be the hardest thing you have ever done. Much harder than any case you've ever had to win."

Akito grimaced. "I hate women. I really do. Though, I don't know if this will be as hard as the case I'm currently working on. It's just the beginning of the trial process, and already it looks like it's gonna be a long one. It's the last case I'm going to work before fully taking control of Uchiha Corp."

"That big huh?" the red head asked curiously.

"Yeah. I can't really go into full details, since the case hasn't started yet, and there's that whole client confidentiality thing, but it looks like it's gonna be hell." He finished off his scotch. "But, I do love a challenge, so the next few weeks of my life are going to be extremely interesting." He said with a wry smile.

Toshiro nodded. "Oh I can assure you, it will be."


	2. Moving In

**Contract**

_Chapter Two_

-Moving In-

A white 2011 Lamborghini drove up the winding road towards Akito's house. It screeched to a halt, followed by a large moving van. The door opened and Natsumi stepped out and looked around the front, she was wearing a tight pair of dark blue jeans and a white designer shirt that crossed in the front, tying at the bottom so her midriff was showing. She had on a pair of matching white pumps and a stylish bag hanging in the crook of her arm.

She pulled down her white Prada sun glasses and looked around, signaling for the moving team to start unloading. She pushed her sunglasses back up and tossed her keys to the valet. "Be careful with that, its new." She said simply, walking up to the front door and ringing the bell.

It opened shortly after, revealing Akito. He had given the butler the day off, since he would be home in order to make sure nothing of his was stolen or broken. Plus, he wanted to observe Natsumi a bit more. The maids were still there, in order to clean up anything that was tracked into his house during the moving process. "Hey." He said, not really sure how to greet her, especially after the day before.

"Don't sound so excited." She rolled her eyes, though it went unseen from behind her sunglasses. She stepped inside and took off her glasses, placing her on her head. "So, I guess just tell them where to go since I've only been here once."

"What kind of things did you bring? Besides clothes and accessories." He asked. He wasn't sure if she had any furniture she had brought over that was special to her, or any pictures. And although he would be glad to just toss it all in a closet somewhere, this was technically her house too, and so he needed to respect her things.

She looked around the front room and then back to him. "Nothing really. That's all my clothes, the truck with my shoes and accessories and photos had to stop and get gas, so they should be here soon."

He nodded. "Alright, I'll show them where to put everything. You can pick out places to put your pictures when they arrive. I don't really care where they go, as long as it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye." He gave her a half smile, trying to be friendly. "I can also give you a tour if you want, unless you'd rather explore on your own while I direct the movers."

"Just show me where the bedroom is and then I can go from there by myself." She said, taking her purse off her arm and setting it down on a nearby table.

"Alright, follow me." He said, turning and walking up a small set of marble stairs that turned into wood ones. They went along the side of the foyer, and at the top of the stairs there was a set of glass doors that led to a balcony that covered the entire front of the house. He pointed to the hallway that was to the right of the stairs. "That's my office and home library, and the bedroom is this way." He said, turning to the left and going down a short hall. He opened the door to reveal a large, modern style room.

The floor was made of a dark grey wood, and was sparsely furnished. To the left of the door there were two white, square ottomans. The king sized bed was made up of white sheets, and had a frame with dark wood. It was placed against a white wall that had a hallway behind it, the far wall being made of the same dark wood on the bed, and led to the bathroom and closets. About two feet away from the end of the bed was a table that was made up of three rectangular tables. They were fashioned out of the same wood as the bed, and the top had a white marble on it. Two of the tables were next to each other, with the third on the top. The only thing sitting on them was a glass dish to place your keys in. Two tables exactly like the ones making up the levels of the large one were on either side of the bed, a lamp on the one next to the large window that lined the far wall and showed the front of the house, and an alarm clock on the other one. Placed against the window was a long, thin, rectangular table, which was currently empty. The windows went all the way to the ceiling, and there was a sliding glass door, leading to the balcony.

"Here's my-our bedroom." Akito said, quickly correcting himself. This was going to be weird at first, since he wasn't used to sharing his home with anyone, let alone his bed. Well, for a long period of time anyways. He looked at her to see her reaction, wanting to know what she thought of the place. Natsumi walked forward, taking in the room. It was really, really nice.

"I like it." She said, looking over the bed. "So…" she glanced back at him, trying not to seem too curious. "Should I be concerned about who's been here?" She asked, pointing towards the bed.

He smirked. "Not really. No woman has ever been on, or slept in that bed." He said, nodding to it. It was true. Whenever he had a woman over for…other things, they used one of the guest bedrooms, or didn't even use a bedroom at all. To Akito, women tended to wear too much makeup, perfume, or both, and he didn't like it when they rubbed off on his sheets. He didn't want his white sheets to become stained by the makeup, and he didn't want to smell whatever grotesque perfume his entertainment for the night had decided to wear.

"Uh huh." She pursed her lips together. She didn't look too convinced, but decided to leave it alone. She went around the bed and into the bathroom, looking at it. It was the same style as his bedroom. It was nice and modern and there were two sinks side by side, with two separate mirrors over each.

Akito followed her into the bathroom. "The sink on the left is yours." He told her, just so she knew.

She glanced back at him and tried not to scoff. "Ok, I suppose that I can succumb to this one thing." She smirked, taking her glasses off her head and walking past him. She stopped when she was shoulder to shoulder with him. "I'll let you have your side, but there are no other rules of yours that I will follow. Do you understand? You may be my fiancé, but you are not my master. And until I say 'I do', I will do what I want."

Akito turned his head and looked at her. "As long as my routine doesn't have to change to suit you, I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, your life is your own."

"Good." She smiled, actually looking sincere. "And I won't tolerate ladies of the evening, so just in case my brother suggests anything to get you less tense, you might wanna think twice," she pat his shoulder and walked back out into the bedroom and set down her sun glasses, intent on seeing the rest of the house.

Shaking his head with a slight, genuine smile on his face, Akito walked back through the room. "I'll keep that in mind." He said over his shoulder, leaving to tell the movers where to put things.

Natsumi rolled her eyes and took off her shoes, tossing them aside since she was just going to explore. She walked across the hall and peeked into Akito's office. It was pretty large, seeing as it was the library as well. She walked inside and looked around, it was still the same style as the rest of the house. She would definitely be coming in here to find things to read.

She left the room then and headed downstairs, making sure she didn't get in the mover's way. She went off to her left, which was the hallway right of the front door. It was the kitchen, filled with everything you could possibly need. She continued around, going through the other doorway and in the dining room. Then back to the living room, both places she had already seen. Once she was back in the foyer she took the hall to her right and saw the guest room she'd changed in the day before. There was another, larger room that seemed to be used for recreation. There was a large plasma screen on the wall and a sitting area, a bar, and a pool table.

This was probably where Akito and her brother spent most of their time together. She flipped the light switch off and went to the last door, which happened to be padded. She looked inside and saw a legit home theatre and nodded. This was definitely a perk she liked. She would be spending a lot of time in here as well.

She closed the door and headed back down the hall and towards the back door. She went outside and took in a deep breath, loving the scent of the ocean. She walked along the porch and looked around at the wonderful design, and actually commended his taste. There was a salt water pool along the side of the house, filled with fish and a metal bridge extended over it so it was possible to cross.

There was a large, rectangular pool and enough lush grass to still look nice. He also had his own private beach that was only for his own use. After mulling around the backyard for a while and lounging on the beach, she headed back in and saw that they were almost finished. It was getting close to six, and she decided she would change and get ready for her daily yoga session.

* * *

><p>Akito let out a deep breath, shutting the door. Finally, all the movers were leaving and everything was in place and cleaned. He locked the door and turned around, stopping in his advance for his office. He heard a soft hum of easy music coming from the living room, and redirected his course, wanting to sate his curiosity. When he came up to the entrance he stopped dead in his tracks.<p>

Natsumi had on a pair of tight, black yoga pants and a small shirt that she seemed so found of. It was spaghetti strapped and showed off her toned stomach more so than the two times before he had seen her. She was in the middle of a yoga pose where she was bent forward, the only clearly defined part of her body being her behind.

He gazed appreciatively at the sight before him before walking to the kitchen, wanting to grab something to drink before going upstairs to work a bit on his case before dinner was served at seven-thirty. He wasn't really surprised that she did yoga, since most rich women did. But to him, it was just another trivial, useless thing that people do in order to try and sound cool to their friends. Though, it did seem to keep her body in excellent shape, as he had previously observed.

Opening the door to his office, he turned on the light and sat behind his desk, starting up his laptop. While he waited for it to load, he unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt, and rolled his sleeves up until they were just below his elbows. He opened his brief case and took out a few documents, spreading them across his desk before getting to work. He had an eight a.m. meeting tomorrow, and he wanted to be ready for it.

* * *

><p>A cough interrupted Natsumi from her exercise and she straightened up, glancing back at the chef who was simply wide eyed. He had obviously been enjoying the show that was new to the Uchiha house. "Um, ma'am. Dinner is ready."<p>

"Oh." She blinked, feeling her stomach grumble. "Ok, I guess I'll go get the man of the house." She said, walking over to the stereo system and turning it off. She headed towards the steps, noticing that his head turned as she passed. She had put her hair up and a stretchy head band to keep her bangs out of her face. She hurried up the steps and walked over to his office, not bothering to knock.

She walked in and saw him sitting at his desk, focusing on his laptop as he typed. She made her way over to his desk, setting her hands down on the wood and leaning forward over his laptop, successfully, but unintentionally, distracting him from his work with a nice view of her cleavage. "Dinner's ready."

Akito's eyes widened slightly and he sat back from his work in order to unnoticeably put some distance between her chest and his face. Toshiro was right, this was going to be hell. "Thanks." He said, shutting his laptop and standing.

She straightened up, watching him and then looking down at his desk. She picked up one of the folders and opened it, trying to see what it was. "So what are you working on?"

He quickly took the folder from her and shut it, giving her as much of an apologetic look as he could. "Sorry, client confidentiality and all that. Until this case goes public, I'm not really allowed to talk about the details." He apologized, not wanting her to get upset with him. She rolled her eyes and held up her hands in surrender.

"Ok, jeez. It's not like I was going to go tell anyone about it." She huffed, heading towards the door to go down to dinner.

He set down the folder and followed her out of the study, shutting the door behind him. "So, why exactly do you do yoga? Are you just following the latest trend, or do you actually enjoy it?" he asked as they went downstairs.

She sighed, walking down the steps. "I enjoy it because it calms me and helps my energy flow. Plus it keeps my body in top form, and helps with stress as well and lets me relax. I do it every day so I don't have a psychotic break." She said simply, stiffening a bit. Not something she had intended to let slip. "Anyways, dinner smells good." She quickly changed the subject.

"Yes, Javier usually does an excellent job in preparing the meals. Although, he leaves once the kitchen is cleaned up, so any time after that you're on your own when it comes to food." He said, deciding not to comment on her sudden change in topic. As a lawyer, he had to be able to read people, not to mention that it was a gift that ran in his family. On top of that, he had taken quite a bit of psychology classes when he was in school, wanting to be able to understand people better, since that was not a gift that ran in his family. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, out of curiosity, but knew that she would just get angry and defensive, since they weren't well-acquainted enough for her to feel comfortable enough talking about things that were too personal.

"Eh…cooking…so trivial." She sighed. Of course she knew how to cook. She had learned from the best. But it wasn't something she enjoyed. They went into the dining room then and sat down where the two places were set. Akito at the head and hers right next to him.

He began to eat silently, his mind going off and thinking about the meeting he had in the morning. He was completely prepared for it, and so nothing should go wrong. Nodding to himself in assurance, he took a bite of his mashed potatoes. Natsumi just stared off, eating until she was full. When they finished Javier picked up their plates, and she stood, looking down at him. "Alright I'm going to take a shower." She informed him, already heading for the door.

Akito just sighed and got up as well, going back to his study to work. He wanted to run over a couple more things before stopping for the night. Once he was finished and shut off everything he headed to the bedroom, seeing Natsumi sitting on the bed and fastening on some black strappy heals. She was all dressed up once again in jeans and a black halter top, with a diamond necklace around her neck. "Where are you going?" Akito asked, slightly confused.

"I'm going out." She said simply, grabbing her black clutch as she stood. She held up her left hand and showed him that she was in fact wearing her engagement ring. "I'm not going to do anything bad. I'll be back sometime before you wake up so don't worry." She waved him off, grabbing her phone and a set of keys.

"Alright. I'll probably be gone by the time you wake up then. I have an early meeting." He said.

"Ok," she placed her things in her purse and looked back over at him. "Be back when I get back." She waved, passing him by and shutting the door behind her.

Akito let out a sigh and got ready for bed. Turning off the lights to his room and crawling beneath the sheets on his side, he hoped Natsumi didn't do anything too dangerous. With those as his last thoughts, he went to sleep.

* * *

><p>Natsumi unlocked the front door, pushing it open she stumbled inside, holding her purse and shoes in one hand and the other holding her throbbing head. "Ow." She groaned softly, shutting the door and locking it. She made her way up the steps and finally to her new bedroom. It was a lot harder to get around in the dark in a place she wasn't used to. As quietly as she could, she crept into the bedroom and then towards the bathroom, stubbing her toe on the turn.<p>

"Ow, damnit." She cursed, freezing and then listening for Akito's soft breathing. She hoped her blunder hadn't awoken the slumbering Uchiha. When she heard nothing, she crept into the bathroom and flipped on the light, illuminating it. She tossed her shoes aside and placed her purse and keys on the counter.

She turned on the water and let it run a bit so it would warm before she leaned down and rubbed her face with the hot liquid. She straightened back up and screamed at the top of her lungs, turning around to be face to face with Akito. She placed her hand on her racing heart, trying not to have a heart attack.

"It is four in the morning Natsumi." He said, sounding very irritated and very tired.

"You can't sneak up on people like that." She glared weakly, trying to ignore his statement.

"It's my house, I can do whatever I want. Besides, you woke me up." He said simply, rubbing his face to get rid of some of his sleepiness. It wasn't that it was too early for him, since he usually got up at six, but still. He liked to wake up on his own, not to the sound of someone stumbling around in the dark.

"Well it's not like I meant to." She huffed.

His eyes narrowed and drifted from her eyes to her jaw line. Before she could react he grabbed her by the shoulders and took her chin, tilting it to the side. "Why the hell do you have a bruise on your face?"

Her hand shot up and covered the small brown blunder. "I accidently tripped and my landing wasn't all that graceful. I'd had a bit to drink."

"Hm." He said, giving her a slightly suspicious look. "Well why don't you head to bed. Since I'm up I might as well get ready and go to work."

"You could go back to bed too. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm sorry." She actually apologized.

He waved it off. "It's fine. Besides, once I'm up, it's nearly impossible for me to go back to sleep. And I'd just be getting up in two hours anyways."

"If you say so." She shrugged, moving out from his grip and hurrying off to the closet to change. When she reemerged she was dressed in some soft pajama pants and a tank top. "Night," she waved. "Try not to be too loud when you're getting ready. I'm exhausted." She said, disappearing into the bedroom.

He rolled his eyes and started the shower. He hoped she wouldn't stay out this late every night, because it would disrupt his sleep every time. Hopefully he'd already gotten enough to make it through the long day he had ahead of him.


	3. Disturbed

**Contract**

_Chapter Three_

-Disturbed-

Akito glared hatefully at the sleeping form in his bed. Six days. For six days she had left right after dinner and come home anywhere between three and five in the morning. Each and every time she woke him up, having walked into something, knocked something over, or tripped, and each time he couldn't go back to sleep, so he just got ready for the day anyways. But it was beginning to wear on him. The hours of sleep that he was losing was making it hard for him to concentrate in court in order to do a good job for his client, and that was not acceptable. He was being paid to do his best, and he couldn't do his best if he was always so tired.

At the moment, it was nearing noon, and she had yet to awaken. How much sleep did she need, anyways? He wanted to wake her up so that he could yell at her, but something stopped him. He didn't want to upset her, yet, and she would only be crankier if she were to be forced from sleep. No, better to allow her to wake up feeling refreshed and happy, and then ruin her day. He smirked darkly at the thought and left the room, going downstairs for lunch. Knowing Natsumi, she would wake up soon in order to eat, and he could talk to her then.

True to her schedule, just as lunch was almost ready she came down the steps, still in her pajamas. Today she was wearing a black, silky night gown that stopped just after rear and clung to her form. "Morning," she yawned, giving him a small wave as she passed the living room where he was sitting, waiting. Though he had to admit, even just waking up with her bed head, she was drop dead gorgeous. But now was not the time to admire the only positive quality his fiancé had.

He went into the dining room and sat down at his seat just as Javier was placing their sandwiches on the table. "So Natsumi, how did you sleep? Was it enjoyable?" he asked, beginning to eat his lunch. Though something in his tone told her that he didn't really want to know about her night. She glanced over at him, sticking her fork in a piece of fruit and then biting into it. This was unusual, Akito had never been too interested in her nights before.

"Fine…why?" she asked, giving him a suspicious look. There was definitely something off about him.

He shrugged, taking a sip of his water. "No reason, it's just nice to know that someone in this house is actually getting to sleep." He looked over at her, mock sincerity written all over his face. "You must be so productive during the day with all the energy you have. Tell me, what is it you do, exactly? Oh wait," he said, the corner of his mouth tilting humorlessly. "You don't have a job."

There was a dead silence in the room, the door from the kitchen cracked open with a couple eyes trying to see the commotion in the dining room. Natsumi just grimaced, "Excuse me?"

"Oh I'm sorry, was I not clear enough?" he asked, though it was obviously rhetorical. The slight smile on his face faded and he gave her a hard stare. "Perhaps while you're sitting around doing absolutely nothing, you could spare a little of your time to think about those who actually work for a living. I know the concept may seem foreign to you and hard to grasp, but do try." He taunted. She stood up, glaring down at him with a threatening gaze. She stepped around her chair and grabbed the glass of water on the table, dumping it on his head.

"Go ahead and fuck off Akito." She snapped, walking out of the dining room and up the steps, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

Completely enraged now, Akito stood from his seat and followed her, bursting into the bedroom. "You know what? I would actually like to do that, but it seems impossible with having such a shrew for a fiancé." He said, raising his voice slightly. "I don't really care what it is you do in your free time, which happens to be all the time I might add, but the least you could do is give me the same respect that I give you." He said, pointing a finger at her.

"A shrew?" she shrieked, stomping up to him and wagging her finger in his face, only half dressed. She had a pair of jean pulled on, not yet button and her hand in her shirt, not caring that she was only in her bra in front of him. "I am not a shrew! You conceited asshole! I don't bother you ever! I _told_ you I had a sleeping disorder and I'm not used to your house!" she screamed, pushing past him and pulling on her shirt.

"Well you don't have to make so much damned noise every morning and wake me up!" he yelled, turning and following her with his gaze. "I am working on a very important case, and as it is my last, I would actually like to win it! But I can't do that if you stumble in drunk every night and wake me up hours before my alarm goes off. I told you that it's impossible for me to go back to sleep, and yet you don't seem to care." He said, sweeping his hand up and down, gesturing to her entire person. "And for some unknown reason, I still make sure that I'm quiet for you, and that I never wake you up, even on the weekends. I let you sleep to your heart's content, because _I'm_ considerate." He pointed to his chest.

"Well if it's _so_ damn inconvenient for you then I just won't sleep with you! Ok?" she snapped back.

"You don't even sleep with me anyways!" he ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "Look, it would just be nice if you actually tried to make this work. I know you don't have a public image or anything that you're trying to keep, but I do. And my image affects my client's image, so I would like it to be a good one. And I can't do that if I don't get more sleep." He said, trying to explain the situation to her fully.

"No image?" she blew up, poking him hard in the chest. "You know _nothing_ about me. So why don't you just back off and ignore me like you do the rest of the days of the week. I told you already that I wasn't changing for you, and that still stands, so back off." She turned around, grabbing her keys from the side table and heading out, slamming the front door behind her.

Akito let out a frustrated yell, throwing his arms in the air. Realizing that he had an audience, he glared at the servants. "What?" he asked tersely, causing them to scramble out of his line of vision so that he wouldn't yell at them.

Letting out a sigh, Akito decided that he needed advice on how to better handle this situation, and so he grabbed the keys to his black 2011 Corvette Coup and headed for his father's house, which was actually in the neighborhood. Pulling up to the large estate, he walked right through the front door, not bothering to knock since the butler here usually left it unlocked. Knowing that the eldest Uchiha would be in his study working, Akito turned a corner and walked down a long hallway until he came upon a large wooden door. Still being respectful of his father, he knocked politely on the door and waited for permission to enter.

Sasuke didn't even raise his eyes from the report he was reading as Akito walked up to his desk. "Father, I need your help." He said, sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk.

Hearing a hint of desperation in Akito's voice, Sasuke raised a brow and glanced over at him. "With what?"

"I can't seem to make things work with Natsumi. She doesn't care that I have to get up early in the mornings and go work a twelve hour day, then stay up late for the case I'm working on. And when I tried to explain it to her, she just got all angry and left in a fit." He told him. "I need advice on what to do. How did you make it work with mother?" he asked.

"I didn't marry her, that's for sure." Sasuke chuckled, his shoulder shaking slightly as he took small joy in his son's predicament. This would be good for the boy, he needed to learn how to play well with others, so to speak.

Akito grimaced. "I should have known you'd be no help." He sighed and stood. "I will go elsewhere for advice. I am sorry to have disturbed you." He said, walking to the door. Sasuke shrugged and returned to his report, not really concerned.

It took a while, but eventually Akito pulled into the large driveway to Gaara and Sakura's huge Bel Air mansion. He parked his car and rang the doorbell, stepping back a ways. An old man answered, and Akito nodded in greeting. "I need to speak with Mr. Sabaku if he is free please. Tell him it is Uchiha Akito." He said politely.

The old man stepped aside. "Very well. Come in and wait here." He ordered, shutting the front door and going off to find his master. He came back a few minutes later. "Mr. Sabaku and his wife are out in the garden. If you will follow me please." He said, walking away once more. Akito did as he was told, finding the couple playing what appeared to be a small game of put-put. The butler stopped a bit away from his employer and waited until he had the redhead's attention. "Sir, Uchiha Akito." He presented.

Akito bowed slightly to show respect. "Sir." He greeted.

Gaara glanced up, giving the younger Uchiha a once over and then glancing around. He sighed, handing the golf club to the butler and giving Sakura a dismissive look. "Please go and locate our antagonistic daughter."

"Of course dear, I'm way ahead of you." Sakura said, kissing him on the cheek before heading back into the house.

Akito waited for the pink haired woman to leave and then looked back at the redhead. "If I am interrupting, I can always come back some other time." He said, not wanting to appear rude in the fact that he didn't care he had come over unannounced.

"I'm surprised you didn't come over sooner actually." Gaara said, walking up to him and leading him back into the house. "I knew you had guts. So what did she do?" he asked, pushing open a mahogany door and entering a massive study. He gestured for Akito to have a seat and took his own at the desk.

Sitting down, Akito let out a weary sigh. "Every day after dinner, she leaves to go God knows where, and comes home between three and five in the morning. And each day she wakes me up upon entering the bedroom." He looked at his soon to be father-in-law. "I know she has a sleeping disorder, but when I am woken up I cannot go back to sleep very easily, and so there is no point. So, for the past week I have been going to the office almost two hours early." He ran a hand down his face. "But I need sleep in order to do well on the case I'm working on, and she doesn't seem to care that her activities are causing me to do poorly in my work, and therefore letting my client down." He explained.

"Do you want me to speak with her?" Gaara asked, lacing his fingers together and leaning forward with his elbows on his desk.

"If you can get through to her, I would greatly appreciate it. All I seem to be able to do is offend her when I try to explain things." He said.

The elder redhead nodded, "I will talk to her. But how did you tell her? She tends to have issues with people telling her what to do."

Akito frowned. "I believe it was something along the lines of accusing her of doing nothing all day while I worked, and to attempt to think about others instead of only herself, despite how difficult it would be for her."

There was a long pause between the two before Gaara rested his face in his hands. "Well," he frowned, running one of his hands down his face. "You usually don't even tell a woman, who isn't crazy, that…but…look Akito, Natsumi is complex. She went to school for a very long time and when she finally got out and became a doctor, two years into her practice she all of a sudden quit and didn't care about what anyone said, and did whatever the hell she wanted. Sakura says that because she was so tied down that she's going through that rebel phase now. You could always try…talking to her. Though I know this is her fault, and I will make sure she understands that you need to be respected."

He just sighed. "I will try, probably once I have slept though." He stood and reached across the desk, shaking the redhead's hand. "Thank you for your help sir, I appreciate it." He said.

"No problem. You forget, she is my daughter after all. I know how she can be." He nodded and watched the younger man leave. He leaned back in his chair and glared at the doorway. When Natsumi got here, she was in for a big wake up call.

* * *

><p>Natsumi pulled up to her house, well her old house, and got off her bike. She turned off the ignition and headed up for the door. Her mother had called her and told her it was extremely important that she come over as soon as possible. She walked in, since she had previously lived there and it was her parent's house. She glanced around and saw her mother walking down the steps, her nose in a book.<p>

"Hey Mom." She said, tossing her keys into a bowl that was near the front door. "What's up?"

Sakura looked up from her book and took in her daughter's appearance briefly. "Your father wants to see you. He's in his study." She said, reaching the bottom of the steps. Natsumi rolled her eyes, heading down the hall towards the room her father spent most of his time.

"If he wanted to see me, then why didn't he call himself." She mumbled, getting a small, disapproving look from her mother. She knocked on the large doors once she was there, and waited to be allowed in. When she received the confirmation, she walked in and froze, seeing the irritated look on the redhead's face. "Uh…you wanted to see me dad?" she asked nervously.

"What the hell Natsumi? I know you don't give a damn about anyone anymore, but you agreed to get married to Akito as a favor to Sasuke and myself. I know you don't like him, but the least you could do is come home at a reasonable hour and stop acting like such a bitch." He snapped, standing and glaring at her.

Natsumi went slightly wide eyed and shrunk back. "But Dad, you don't understand, he was trying to tell me-"

"Do not interrupt me Natsumi!" Gaara yelled, making her go silent. "Akito was the one to come by asking how to get along with you, and frankly I think he really is trying, so the least you can do is give him a smidge of respect. I mean, you're going to have to get used to living with him. He's a lawyer, and in his field having a sleeping disorder is _not _good. I don't want to have this conversation again, do you understand? Learn to compromise."

The pink haired woman just remained silent, watching her father and his body language. She could tell that he was a lot more furious than he was letting on, and she really didn't want to go up against him at the moment. How could he take Akito's side? She was his daughter, not Akito. But she wouldn't start a fight. Besides, if Akito was so damn tired he should just go back to sleep when she got home. "Fine." She agreed sharply, getting a warning look from Gaara.

"I don't wanna hear about this again Natsumi, do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand." She frowned.

"Good. Now get out and try and play nice."

She rolled her eyes, only angering the redhead further, but he kept it in as she walked out. Hopefully, she would at least attempt to change slightly.

* * *

><p>After her talk with her father, Natsumi headed straight for Akito's house, since she knew her mother would be checking up on her to make sure she was attempting to be nice. Whatever. If they wanted her to be nice, she'd be nice just enough to get them off her back. Who the hell did Akito think he was to go and whine to her parents? She growled aloud and slid to a stop, turning off her bike. It was around sunset, Akito was most likely in his office working like he always was. She walked in, setting her keys down and heading up the steps. She was going to give him a piece of her mind before attempting to build a bridge of any sort.<p>

When she reached his study she pushed the door open, ready to yell at him, when she froze. Akito was passed out with his head on his desk, laptop open, and coffee off to the side. Guilt actually ripped through her and she frowned. Maybe she was being rude by waking him up. She sighed, pushing the thoughts away, or at least trying to. She supposed she could come back earlier and try and be quieter.

Not wanting to begin an inner battle, she left the room and went to their bedroom, grabbing a blanket and returning to the office. She looked around, straightening the papers back in their folders and putting them in the bag hanging off his chair. She saved his work on his laptop before turning it off and putting it away as well. She draped the blanket around his shoulders and took the cup so he wouldn't accidently knock it over. After trying to make sure he was as comfortable as possible, she turned off the lights and closed the curtains, returning to the door. "I'm sorry." She said softly, closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Akito woke with a start and sat up, looking around his now dark study. His brow furrowed as he realized that there was a blanket draped around in shoulders and that all of his things had been put away, his laptop shut down and closed.<p>

Anger surged in him at the thought of someone touching his personal things, but died quickly as he began to think about it. Javier left after dinner, and the other servants left promptly at seven, not to mention they knew never to enter his study when he was working. So that only left Natsumi.

He stood from his desk and stretched, cracking his neck as he looked at the clock and saw that it was just past midnight. Sighing, he picked up the blanket and went into his bedroom, freezing when he saw a figure in his bed. Strange, she was usually out partying at this time. Shrugging it off, he set the blanket down on a chair and quickly changed into a loose pair of black sleep pants. He slowly pulled back the covers on his side and crawled in, making sure that he didn't move the bed too much so that he didn't wake her.

Looking at her slumbering face, a small smile tugged at the corner's of his mouth. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, quite unlike the woman who felt she had to defy him at every turn. He reached out his hand and gently brushed some of her hair out of her face, letting out a sigh. She really was beautiful, like a delicate flower. Settling into his sheets, he closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep, for once looking forward to the morning.

They both slept silently, until around three in morning Natsumi stirred and yawed, opening her eyes slowly. She went wide eyed and had to control herself before she could scream out in surprise. Somehow in her slumber she had managed to snuggle into the other warmth on the bed. Slowly and carefully, she moved back to her side, watching Akito so she didn't disturb him. She got out of bed and tried to look around in the dark, but the shades she had put down over the windows were inhibiting the little light the moon gave.

She made her way to the bathroom, since her need for the restroom was what had awoken her. When she finished, she flipped off the light and snuck back out into the dark room, hoping that she hadn't disturbed him. She touched the wall for some guidance, forgetting there was a small iron table with a glass top just before entering the main part of the room.

Pain shot up her leg as she stubbed her toe against the iron. Tears swelled in her eyes as she screamed out in agony, tripping a bit and knocking the table over, shattering the glass on the dark wood. Akito's eyes snapped open at the noise and he sat up in bed, pulling the chord to the lamp on his bedside table, illuminating the room. He looked over at Natsumi and went wide eyed. "What happened?" he asked, pulling the sheets back and carefully placing his feet on the floor so that they didn't land in glass.

"I'm sorry," she went wide eyed, staring up at him. She was holding her arm, and there was smeared crimson running down it. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I was trying to be quiet." She jumbled out, but felt herself beginning to cry. Only because she was so upset that after all her efforts of trying to be more respectful it didn't even work. She'd woken him up anyways, and he would just be angry with her, and then her dad would be mad at her.

Akito stood, seeing that she was hurt, and made his way to her. He bent over and picked her up carefully, not wanting to hurt her arm. "It's fine Natsumi, accidents happen." He said soothingly, carrying her into the bathroom and sitting her between the sinks.

"I was trying to be considerate. I didn't mean to break it, I can always pay for the replacement." She frowned as Akito took her arm and ran it under the warm water to clean the wound.

"Natsumi." He said, silencing any further words she was going to say. "It is just a table. Right now the important thing is that your arm is seen to." He said, drying her arm carefully and then taking out some healing cream and gently rubbing it into the cut.

"But now you won't be able to get to sleep…and you'll be cranky and yell at me again." She said, looking off. He had pretty much called her useless, and almost made her feel like a waste of space. Even if she didn't do anything with her time, she didn't like being told that, and especially not by him.

He sighed, feeling slightly guilty for his earlier words. "I'm sorry for what I said, that was not the proper way to discuss my sleeping problem with you." He told her, getting out some bandages and covering up her cut. "Please do not think that I am always like that." He said, looking up at her.

She glanced up at him and then back down. "How would I know what you're really like? We don't really associate with one another."

"Well…" he said, not really sure what he wanted to say, until it came to him. "There's an event at the country club I'm a member of coming up this week. Toshiro was trying to get me to go, but I don't really like people." He said, finishing covering her arm. "But, we could go together, if you want. Maybe spend some time with each other." He suggested, unable to fully hide how unsure he felt about it.

"Would I have to dress all formal?"

"No, it's just a country club, so if you want to go golfing or play tennis we can do that. So I would just wear a sports outfit or something you'd be comfortable in." he said. A small smirk crept up her face and she gave him an alluring look, almost tempting.

"Anything?" she asked, leaning a bit forward.

He blinked, a bit taken back by the suggestive look on her face. "Well, um, maybe just like, a tennis outfit or something." He said.

"Perfect." She smiled, getting up from the counter and blushing a bit at their close proximity, since they were almost touching. "Um….thanks for this." She said, holding up her arm. "Well…" she paused, since neither of them moved. "I think I'm going to go back to bed now…so you can if you want to try…or whatever." She spoke a bit nervously, sliding along the counter and then heading into the bedroom.

He followed her with his gaze and then looked at the clock on the bathroom counter. Yeah, he could try to go back to sleep, it wasn't like it would hurt anything. He turned off the bathroom light and went back into the bedroom, avoiding the glass and sliding back into bed next to Natsumi. He got comfortable and then looked over at her. "Goodnight Natsumi." He said.

"Night," she sighed, already drifting off. She snuggled into the comforter and then peeked at him, shutting her eyes quickly when she saw he was staring at her. "Stop watching me you creeper." She said, trying not to laugh, but he could tell by her tone she was trying to be playful.

He chuckled and turned his head so that he was looking at the ceiling. "What can I say? I have a thing for girls with pink hair."

"Kinda narrows it down a bit, don't you think?" she snickered, turning a bit more before getting comfortable.

"Of course it does. Especially since now I've got one in my bed." He said, shutting his eyes and beginning to fall back asleep. Natsumi just rolled her eyes at him and let out a sigh, joining Akito in slumber.


	4. Country Club

**Contract**

_Chapter Four_

-Country Club-

It was late Saturday morning, the sun was high in the sky and it was the perfect temperature. The only clouds in the sky were large white fluffy cumuli. Akito walked onto the terrace of the prestigious country club that his and Toshiro's family belonged to. Well, at least Toshiro and his parents came. For the occasion he was wearing a pair of khaki colored slacks, a white polo shirt, and some white golf shoes, that were surprisingly clean to everyone else, though in all truth Akito never golfed, so they had no chance of getting grass stains on them. He of course had a set of clubs, but he preferred tennis.

"Akito!" a loud voice boomed as a man with soft brown hair and a freckled face walked up, a beautiful blonde on his arm. "Long time no see buddy." He was dressed similarly to Akito, as were all the other males.

"Stephan. I am not your buddy. I don't even like you, you jeopardized our cases when we worked together." The Uchiha sighed, crossing his arms.

Stephan just laughed and pulled the blonde forward. She was dressed in a white sundress, her golden locks cascading around her face. "This is my wife, Fiona. The most perfect specimen of a woman." He introduced. The woman giggled, flattered by her husband's compliment.

"Hello Akito, I've read a lot about you in the papers." She said, offering her hand out to him.

He shook it, but didn't agree with the brunette. Natsumi was the perfect specimen of a woman, not this bimbo. Stephan and Fiona were what everyone called the golden couple. They acted like their home life was perfect and that they never fought, always doing everything together. Nobody really liked them, but they didn't seem to care, instead they continued to act as if they were better than everyone around them. "Well I have been pretty busy this year, what with taking over my father's company and all." He said.

"That's right. I forgot you were hanging up the law for business. Didn't you become a lawyer because you didn't want to be like your daddy?" Stephan snickered, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist.

Akito's gaze hardened. "Hn. Actually, unlike _some_ people, I did it because I wanted to help people." He sneered. Then he took a glance around the room, looking for Natsumi. She had told him she would meet him here, since she had a previous engagement, but had yet to show up. He would never admit it aloud, but he was slightly worried that she wouldn't come.

A dark haired man, a bit younger than the present group ran up, looking breathless. "Oh. My God." He gasped, looking wide eyed. "Stephan. Akito! This woman…she drove up and got out…" he blushed a bit. "She is _smoking_ hot." He turned around and went wide eyed. "That's her." He pointed. They all glanced over and Akito couldn't help but smirk.

Natsumi was walking towards them, attracting every eye in the vicinity. She had on strappy white heels and a short, extremely short, white tennis skirt with a short top that had the look of a jumpsuit jacket since it zipped up the front and was long sleeved. It stopped, tightening below her breasts and revealing her flat stomach. She had the sleeves pushed up and a matching white purse on her arm. She had on some over sized, white rimmed Prada sunglasses, making her look just like a diva. Stephan's jaw dropped as the younger man tried to hide his excitement in a nonchalant way.

She stopped beside Akito, pushing her glasses up onto her head. "Sorry I'm late. After visiting my parents I had to go shopping for something to wear, and I didn't have a white purse, so that was also an issue."

Triumphant smirk still in place, Akito wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side, startling her. "Stephan, Fiona, this is Natsumi, my fiancé." He said. "She has a Ph.D. and is a surgeon, though at the moment she is taking a break from her career." He said. Unable to help himself, since his hand was on her hip, he made a circle on her skin with his thumb in an affectionate gesture.

She blinked, glancing up at him. This was an odd predicament. But both men stared in complete awe of the flawless being in front of them. "Th…that's your fiancé?" Stephan asked, practically undressing what little clothing she had on with his eyes. His wife elbowed him in the stomach, making him keel over slightly.

"_Well_," she began, getting Natsumi's attention from her fiancé, since his actions seemed to have her on edge. "I suppose you are lovely, a bit slutty if you ask me."

Natsumi's gaze turned into a hardened glare, but she reeled in her anger, Akito's actions now making sense. This couple must be those annoying twats her brother had told her about. Well, she was never one to be insulted without retaliation, and if they irritated Akito as much as they irritated her, well, they finally had something in common. So, she leaned into his embrace, letting her hand rest on his front feeling his hard abs, which actually took her by surprise. Before she could allow her mind to go and the blush to arise on her face, she spoke, "It's not slutty if I'm simply showing off Uchiha Akito's prized possession."

"I wouldn't say possession." Akito said, not really liking the way she had described herself. "But I do value her very highly." He said, and it was true. Sure, they argued a lot and didn't know each other very well, but she was slowly becoming a part of his everyday life, and once they were married, she would be his partner in everything.

"Aw, you're so sweet," Natsumi said, feigning utter adoration for him. She touched his face in a caressing manner, leaning closer as if they had a secret. "My little Akito is the best." She smirked, making a little pout and squishing his face. If she was going to play along with his little vendetta, she was going to have fun with it.

"So are you pooky." He said, grabbing her cheek and wriggling it a bit, the way a grandmother would do to a child.

She pinched a bit harder on his cheeks, almost painfully. "But not as sweet as you _pumpkin pie_." She almost seethed.

He reached down with his hand that was on her waist and placed it on her rear, bringing her closer to him. "I like it when you get forceful." He said, his eyes glinting with mischief as she felt his smile against her hand. "My little lemon drop." He rubbed the cheek under his hand and pat it lightly.

She turned a dark red, almost melting from embarrassment. "Aw yeah…that's right give her a little spank." Stephan said lowly, making his wife smack him over the head as Akito and Natsumi stared at him, both extremely alarmed.

"What the hell Stephan?" Fiona asked, scowling at her husband.

"What? Not even you can deny that isn't hot." He pointed.

Natsumi just arched a delicate brow, looking up at Akito. "Can I just…take a picture of you?" the younger man asked, starry eyed and completely fixated on Natsumi.

Akito glared at him. "No. Now go away you creep. All you'd do his jack off to it anyways."  
>He said harshly. Then he spotted Toshiro and Minako on the other side of the room, and felt a wave of relief wash through him. He looked down at the woman plastered to his side. "Would you like to go and talk to Toshiro?" he asked, signaling with his eyes that he wanted to get away from these people.<p>

"My brother's here?" She smiled, detaching herself from Akito, looking around for the spot of red hair. "Toshiro!" She called, leaving them and meeting with her brother.

"Whoa…" Stephan began. "_That's_ Toshiro's sister? I've never actually seen the Sabaku flower in public."

Akito shrugged. "What can I say? She likes to spend time with me." He said, following her over to his friends. When he reached her he wrapped his arm around her waist, knowing that everyone was still looking. "Hey Toshiro, Minako." He nodded to them. "How are you?"

Natsumi just blinked, still not used to this odd affection he was showing her. Toshiro and Minako just stared in a bit of awe. "Well I guess you two are finally getting along." The redhead smirked.

"Nah. Akito's just lusting after my hot bod." She snickered, deciding she would allow him the pleasure no other man had yet to achieve.

Akito rolled his eyes. "The wonder couple is here." He said, and instantly the other couple understood what was going on.

"Well, I'm sure you two had fun insulting them, since you're both good at it." Minako said, smiling at them, since she meant it as a compliment.

Natsumi shrugged, "Well I've never met them before, and they are quite irritating. But that icky blonde said I dressed like a slut." She frowned, pouting a bit.

"Well you do dress kinda slutty." Toshiro pointed out, his light expression falling when he saw not only his sister's icy glare but Akito's. "Not that that's bad or anything, you can really work it…" he tried to redeem himself.

"I like the way she dresses." Akito said. "At least she doesn't wear those god-awful floral patterns that most women in high society do." His nose scrunched in distaste.

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Well she doesn't dress like her class should. My mother is always tasteful and beautiful, as is Minako. So, I'm just saying." Natsumi rolled her eyes and broke from Akito's grip, walking off. She thought being near her brother would have been nice, but he was just as judgmental as ever.

Akito let out a small sigh and followed after her. "Natsumi." He said, placing his hand on her shoulder in order to halt her. "Don't listen to him. You know how Toshiro is. He worships the ground your mother walks on and dotes on Minako incessantly." He told her, trying to comfort her. She shrugged his hand off and glared back at him.

"You think I don't know that already? Don't pretend you know what it's like. You're an only child. _Toshiro_ this. _Toshiro_ that. _Toshiro _is so amazing. He's a genius, a wonderful doctor. He's so kind. Even you have been best friends with him your whole life, and what do you know about me? Nothing!" she shouted the last part, daring him to try and touch her again.

He frowned slightly at her words. "That may be true, but you know nothing about me either. At least your parents had an interest in your life. I was sent away to a boarding school, and was only ever home for the holidays. And when I was, my father was off working. The few times I did see him all he could ever talk to me about was what I was doing poorly in, according to him, and that he was disappointed in me." He said, somewhat resentfully, though it was not aimed at her. "So don't act like I know nothing about feeling like I don't measure up."

She moved back a bit, looking him over. She actually had nothing to say, which was new for her. Sure, her mother held Toshiro up on a pedestal, but her father had always loved her and cared for her. She glanced off then, she really didn't want a start a 'which rich kid had a more tragic life' game with him. It just wasn't worth it. Akito sighed and wiped his hand down his face, feeling slightly old all of a sudden.

"Look," he said, glancing at her. "I don't feel like arguing with you. Despite how it may seem, it is not something I enjoy doing. So…I am sorry. For what, I'm not entirely sure, but I apologize anyways." He said, dropping his hand.

She stared up at him, almost looking surprised. "Thanks," After all, an Uchiha apologizing was a rare sight. "But I still don't like you." She pointed, sticking her tongue out at him.

He smirked. "I don't like you either, so I think we're good. Although, at times I find you tolerable." He walked up to her until they were closer. "Like when you're curled up against me at night." He said in a low tone so that only she could hear his words.

Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You know about that?" she shivered, paling a bit. She thought she was the only one who knew that for some reason she snuggled into his warmth. She wasn't aware of it until she woke up and found herself face to face with his sleeping form.

"Oh yes." He said, leaning closer to her face, his smirk widening slightly. "It's hard not to realize that an extremely attractive woman such as yourself is plastered to my side when I wake up in the early morning hours."

She blushed a dark red, and tried to think of a retort, but nothing came to mind. "Well…uh…" she replied, looking like a nervous school girl. "It's not like I mean to, it just happens." She mumbled, only getting darker the more she spoke.

"Don't worry, I like it." He said, gently grasping her by the chin and kissing her forehead, enjoying this new side of her. It was just so adorable. "It comforts me." He let go of her and looked around. "I'm going to go get something to drink, would you like anything?" he asked her, trying to move past the semi-awkwardness he felt.

"Um no…I'm fine." She said softly, poking her fingers together. "I'll probably just look around the garden or something."

"Okay. Don't wander far, I think his royal asshole-ness is going to give a speech in a while, and I don't want to have to suffer through it alone." He grimaced slightly.

Natsumi nodded and walked off, looking around and heading towards the wonderful maze of a garden. She went in, examining the flowers and just walking around until she turned one of the corners and ran into someone. "I'm so sorry…oh it's you." She frowned, seeing the brunette from before.

"My, my. What a coincidence running into you here, lovely." Stephan smirked.

She just arched her brow and gave him a curious look. "I guess so…" she stepped back, attempting to move around him. "Well sorry I ran into you." She said, only having him move in front of her once more. He stepped forward, trapping her between himself and a large hedge.

"I'd heard a lot about you, Sabaku no Natsumi. But you are far more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined." He said, leaning down.

"Okay!" she went wide eyed, raising her hand and holding his face back from hers. "Yeah, I don't think so. Aren't you married? And I'm engaged, even if neither of those were applicable, I still wouldn't. You're irritating." She snapped, but yelped when he grasped her wrists and pulled her against him, keeping her hands down and pressing them against his hard erection.

"No one has to know." He promised.

"Let go." She glared.

Akito, having noticed that Stephan wasn't anywhere in the room or near his wife, went outside to find Natsumi, not liking the suspicion that rose in him. He looked around the garden, and then on impulse entered the maze of bushes. As he rounded the corner and took in the sight of Stephan touching what was his, red clouded his vision.

He marched up to the man, and before the brunette knew what was happening, yanked him back by the collar and punched him square in the jaw. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Akito seethed, glaring at the other man as he recovered.

Natsumi was just wide eyed, looking between the two. She could honestly admit that she hadn't expected Akito to come find her, nor get so angry as to slug the other man in the face. But Stephan was up and glaring at Akito, holding his throbbing jaw. "What any sane man would try and do. No one that gorgeous should belong to one man, especially not you, you self-righteous hypocrite."

"You have a wife, remember? The woman you say is the most perfect specimen of a woman." He said, his voice flat in his anger. "So why don't you go return to your Ice Queen and stay the hell away from my fiancé. Because if you ever touch her again, you will regret it. Don't forget, I made your career," he pointed to himself. "And I can destroy it just as easily."

"Will I Akito? See, you little rich kids don't understand, you're all dealt a really nice hand in the beginning, but every once in a while someone else gets the winning hand, and you just wait, because-" he was cut off when Natsumi stomped up and slapped him right across the face, a huge red spot slowly appearing.

"Will you just shut up already you disgusting lecher." She glared, walking away from him and taking Akito's hand and pulling him off with her before he could do anything else to the man. She didn't like him, but it wouldn't do well for his reputation if he beat the crap out of some guy.

Akito allowed her to drag him away, feeling his anger slowly begin to leave him. Once they were back in the garden, he stopped and tugged on her hand, halting her movement and causing her to look back at him. "Are you…are you okay?" he asked softly, genuine concern for her on his face.

She smiled at him tenderly and nodded. "I'm fine. It's not the first time that's happened, so it's no big deal." She laughed, waving the matter off.

His look turned slightly sad. "I'm sorry." He said, though really he had nothing to apologize for, but he felt it was necessary. He sighed and brought up a hand, stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "I don't want to be here any longer." He stated.

"Ok," she frowned, not liking this unusual depressing demeanor. "Do you wanna go home?"

"Only if you feel like coming with me. I don't want to leave you here alone." He said.

She gave him a doubtful look and almost laughed. "Yeah cause' I want to stay here, by myself, with my arrogant brother, some twitchy bitch, and a guy who I'm pretty sure is a closet rapist."

He chuckled at that, his dark mood beginning to lift. "Well, what did you drive here? Your bike?" he asked.

"Naw. I took the Porsche." She snickered. "Have you ever tried to ride a motorcycle in a skirt, especially one this short?" she pinched at the fabric and pulled it up a bit, revealing even more of her legs to him. "Not easy, I can tell you that."

He smiled. "Excellent, because I brought the Coup." He leaned towards her slightly and wagged his eyebrows. "Wanna race?" he asked mischievously.

"My, my." Natsumi smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "Are you insinuating that we break the law and street race all the way back home? Seems a little illegal for you Uchiha Akito, that's more up my alley."

"Oh, I'm full of surprises baby." He smirked, crossing his arms. "Unless you're afraid you'll lose."

She gave him a once over and started for the club. "Yes well, we'll see." She blew him a kiss, sauntering off with a sway of her hips. "And if you win I might even give you a little congratulations present."

He followed after her. "Oh joy." He said, unable to wipe the uncharacteristic happiness from his face. "So, what would you like if you win? Hm?" he asked curiously as they both entered the building.

"I dunno." She shrugged, glancing back at him. "Make something up." She teased, stopping and pulling off her heels before she started to run for the front to inform the valet to get her car.

Smiling at her antics, he took his keys from his pocket and walked to one of the VIP parking spaces, getting in his car and starting the engine. He pulled out of the space and drove up to Natsumi, who was staring at him in shock with her mouth hanging open. "You know, the valets here are pretty slow. Guess I'll see you later." He said, revving his engine before speeding out of the parking lot and turning the corner.

She growled and glared at the man, "If you don't get my car here _right_ now, I'm suing you all!"

* * *

><p>Natsumi slammed on the breaks, screeching to a halt in front of the house. She growled, seeing that Akito had already gotten here. She got out of the car and threw her keys at the poor servant who was lounging against the wall. She pushed open the front doors before the butler could open them and stomped into the living room. "Cheater." She huffed, glaring at the man reclining on the couch.<p>

He gave her a lazy smile, feeling more carefree than he had in a long time. "It's not cheating. You ran off, remember? And I can't help it that you chose to use the valet." He said, rising from his seat. "I even drove the speed limit. Just for you."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms stubbornly, refusing to look at him. "Yes well, I didn't realize I would be in need of a quick getaway."

Akito slowly walked towards her, his steps measured. "So, _dear_, what do I get for winning?" he asked, raising a brow down at her.

She pouted, staying in her puffed up state. "Cheaters shouldn't get prizes."

"It's not cheating if there weren't any rules." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"Fine." She huffed, looking up at him. She took his face in her hands and pulled him down, pressing her lips against his in a deep, passionate kiss.

His eyes widened slightly at her sudden gesture, but he recovered quickly. His fingers threaded through her hair so that he could tilt her head back and deepen the kiss. This had to be the best prize he'd ever gotten in his entire life, sad as it sounded. The chance to kiss his fiancé the way a lover would. The way he and Natsumi _should_ kiss, if their relationship was actually a normal one.

She leaned into him but quickly pulled away, trying to catch her breath. She stared at him for a bit before avoiding his confused deep green gaze. "Um…" she began, raking her fingers through her hair. "I, um, there you go. I'm going to take a shower now…so…" she blushed a dark red and hurried from the room, pressing her hand over her racing heart.

Akito watched her run up the stairs, his face a mask of bewilderment. He had thought things were going pretty well, and when she had suddenly pulled away, he couldn't help but feel confused. He smirked, remembering how flustered she had looked. Perhaps if he tried to woo her, romance her and get to know her, kisses such as that would become common. Smiling at the thought, he decided to head up to his study to do a bit of work before dinner. Compared to a week ago, things seemed to be progressing quite nicely where their relationship was concerned.


	5. Bonding

**Contract**

_Chapter Five_

-Bonding-

Akito let out a frustrated sigh and wiped his hand down his face in exhaustion. This case was becoming more difficult than was necessary, and his stress levels were going to shoot through the roof if he continued to work on it.

Mind made up, he pushed away from his desk and went into his bedroom, pulling out a pair of black basketball shorts and a t-shirt. After tying the laces to his running shoes, he went outside to his backyard, walking past the pool to his small, well furnished home gym. The way he figured, if he just exercised a bit not only would he relieve some of his stress, but he would get a good workout, something he hadn't had time for lately.

He got on his bench press and began to do a few reps, but after a while gave up, since it wasn't helping him at all. Then he tried using his treadmill, and ran for about two miles. But all that did was make him a bit breathless, and quite sweaty. Deciding to try something else, he picked up some of his heavier weights and began to lift them while doing a few squats, working out his legs and arms at the same time. When that did nothing to help him, he put them away with a frustrated sigh.

What could he do to reduce his stress? Sex wasn't an option, as not only was Natsumi not home, but she would refuse him anyways. And no other method of exercise sounded appealing, nor would it work for him, based on how unsuccessful he had been thus far. So what else could he do?

Suddenly the answer hit him. As far as he knew, the only exercise that Natsumi did to relieve her stress was yoga. He'd never really tried it before, and so figured he could give it a shot. Those thoughts in mind, he made his way back to the house, pulling off his shirt to try and cool off, since he had gotten pretty sweaty earlier. When he reached his living room, he put in her yoga movie and laid out her mat. Hoping that she wouldn't mind him using it, he took off his shoes. Taking a deep, calming breath, he began his new exercise on beginner, praying that nobody came in and saw him.

* * *

><p>Natsumi pushed through the front door, her arms filled with bags from different boutiques. She pushed up her overly sized sun glasses and walked in, stopping in the archway to the living room. She blinked, making sure what she was seeing was really there. "What are you doing?"<p>

Akito jumped in surprise and stumbled a bit, having been in the middle to trying to learn a new pose and keep it. He blushed slightly, inwardly berating himself for looking like an idiot in front of her. "Um…I was just…teaching myself how to do yoga." He said.

"Well you're doing it wrong." She said simply, leaving him and walking up the stairs. He sighed, rolling his eyes and running one of his hands through his hair. This was why he didn't want anyone to see him doing such an odd act. It wasn't like he had really ever seen a man doing yoga before anyways.

Then he heard her come back downstairs and glanced up, seeing her in her yoga pants and a tight tank top. She was pulling her hair back and tying it up, pulling up the head band around her neck to keep her bangs out of her face. She walked in, taking the remote from the couch and sending it back to the menu screen. She looked back at him, catching his curious gaze. "What?" she asked, smirking. "Don't you want to learn?"

He grimaced slightly. "I guess. I was really only trying to see if it would help alleviate some of my stress, and so far it doesn't seem to be working." He told her.

"Like I said, because you're not doing it right. And stop expecting instant results." She scolded. "Everything in life you have to work for, just give it time and breathe. Ok?" she smiled, moving next to him. "Now just watch me and breathe." She glanced back, spreading her feet comfortably and letting out a deep breath.

He observed what she was doing and mimicked her pose, taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it. "Now lean forward slowly." She said, slowly arching over and touching the ground with her fingertips. He did as he was told, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She peeked at him from between her legs and tried not to laugh. "Alright now you go back up slowly and then mimic what I do." She came up, and let out a relaxing breath and took another pose.

Akito stood slowly and watched her movements, trying to do exactly what she was doing. "Like this?" he asked, a little unsure.

She glanced back and nodded. "Mhmm. Very good, see it's all in the breathing and not pushing too far with your body. It's supposed to be relaxing, not straining, which is what you were doing earlier." She explained, moving back up and leaning forward once more. "And you always come back to the center first."

He followed her movements, and could feel some of his tension leaving his shoulders. That was usually where his stress gathered, in his back, and he hated it more than anything. "So, how has your day been so far?" he asked conversationally as they moved into another pose.

"Fine. I went shopping. Bought a lot of new things, as you could probably tell." She replied simply, closing her eyes. "Yours?"

"Horrible." He said, his mind wandering back to his case. "I tried to get some work done, but was too stressed to do anything, so I decided to work out. And after a multitude of trials and errors in the gym, I decided to try this."

"Told you this was good." She smirked, peeking at him once more through her legs. "So where is the most tension? I know a few things in certain areas to release stress."

"My shoulders for the most part." He told her.

She straightened up then, turning around to face him. "Ok. Sit down." She pointed towards the couch. He gave her a slightly skeptical look, but did as he was told, wordlessly sitting on the couch. She cracked her neck and then stretched her arms out, lacing her fingers together and popping her fingers as well. She moved around the couch and placed her hands on his broad shoulders, hesitating for only a moment to rid her of the thoughts she had received.

She gripped his shoulders and began rubbing them with her thumbs, pressing into the tense muscles. Feeling some of his tension begin to ease, he let his head fall forward and shut his eyes, enjoying her touch. "Are you a masseuse as well?" he asked her, a bit of humor evident in his voice.

"I'm a doctor, remember. Basically the same principles apply." She said softly, increasing the pressure into his knots and strained tissue. "You really should relax more. If this is all from the case you're going to start getting sick from producing so many toxic chemicals in your body."

He chuckled. "I'm confident in my immune system, but I will heed your advice." He turned his head and looked at her from over his shoulder. "Would you mind if I did yoga with you every day? If it's something you prefer to do on your own then I can always find something else to do."

"I don't mind, as long as you're not asking just so that you can look at my butt more closely, since you do every day." She smirked, removing her hands from his shoulders then, walking back around the couch.

He looked up at her with a mock pout. "I'll let you look at my butt if that makes everything better." He said, sticking his lower lip out slightly as the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

She arched a delicate brow, sticking her hip out a bit as she crossed her arms. "If you're butt was worth looking at, it might." She snickered.

He stood so that he was looking down at her and crossed his arms. "Well, maybe if you took a good look at it you would see that it is totally worth looking at." He said. "I'll even wriggle it for you as a treat." He smirked playfully.

"You sound like a slutty bar girl now," she teased, sticking her tongue out at him. "Besides, I see plenty of your body right now." She said, giving him a once over. "And I'm not impressed." She lied, blowing him a kiss.

"Well," he scoffed, knowing that he indeed had an impressive build. "Since my body isn't impressive at all, I don't have to worry about it scarring your eyes with its awesomeness. So, from now on, I think I'm going to sleep naked." He snickered before picking up his shirt and tossing it over his shoulder. "After all, it is more comfortable."

She went slightly wide eyed, staring up at him, almost too shocked to speak. "Wh-what?"

"I'm going to sleep in the nude from now on." He smirked. "Since my body won't tempt you in any way that I don't have to worry about you jumping me in my sleep." He leaned closer to her. "Don't worry, we can still cuddle."

"No." she said sternly, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks. "You can't. That isn't allowed." She glared weakly at him, pointing her finger in his face.

"Why not?" He tilted his head slightly. "It's my house, I can do whatever I want. Unless…you were lying when you said you aren't impressed by my body."

"That isn't why I don't want you to," she snapped. "It's embarrassing."

"To whom?" he smirked.

"Me! Ok? Jeez," she huffed, turning around and walking out of the room. "I'm going to go swimming."

"Alright, I'm going to go take a shower." He said, following her upstairs and to their room. He went into the bathroom, watching her as she went into the closet to get her bathing suit. Not waiting for her to leave, he hooked his thumbs and took off his pants. Looking to the doorway, where Natsumi was standing, staring at him with a slightly shocked look, he raised a brow. "Can I help you?" he asked, slowly beginning to lower his boxers.

She quickly covered her hand over her eyes and hurried out from the closet, "Nope, nothing." She said quickly, moving out of the bathroom since he was almost fully naked. She shivered slightly, placing her hand over her racing heart. She shook from her daze quickly and changed into her black bikini, taking a towel and heading downstairs.

Chuckling to himself, he finished undressing and took his shower, for once feeling almost completely relaxed. When he finished he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. Curious to see if Natsumi was still swimming, he walked over to the windows overlooking the backyard and saw that she was doing laps. Knowing that she would be in soon for dinner, he went back into his room and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, wanting to remain as comfortable as he felt.

When he walked back out into the room, Natsumi was coming in, drying her hair with the towel she had taken out. It was the first time he had ever seen so much of her body. "Javier says dinner is almost ready. I'm going to get in the shower real quick."

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs then." He said, trying not to stare at the skin that was revealed to him as he left the room so that she could have some privacy. When Javier announced that dinner was ready, Natsumi had come downstairs, already dressed for bed, which was odd. They went into the dining room and sat down in their respected areas.

Dinner was brought out to them and they began their routine of a silent meal. Not long into the meal, Akito paused and gave her a curious look. "Are you not going out tonight?" he asked.

"I don't feel very well." She replied, not looking up from her soup as she ate.

"Anything I can do to help you feel better?" he asked, wanting to help he feel better.

"I don't think so, I'll probably just go to bed and hopefully feel better in the morning." She sighed, pushing her empty bowl. She took her salad and started eating that. He had to admit for a tiny little thing, she sure ate _a lot_.

"Well, what doesn't feel well? It can't be your stomach, since you still seem to have a good enough appetite." He commented.

She set her fork down and looked over at him. "I don't know, I just don't feel good. Ok?"

"Okay, well I was just trying to help." He said, resuming eating his dinner. Getting an idea, he looked back at her. "Do you think…I mean, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" he asked, seeming a bit nervous, though all it did was make him look endearing.

She blinked, actually dropping her utensil this time. "Huh?" she asked looking up at him.

"Would you go on a date with me tomorrow?" he repeated.

"Um…" she paused, staring down at her food, not really knowing what to say. "Ok? What time?"

"Is six too early for you?" he asked, wanting to time their date with the sunset.

"No. I don't do anything, remember." She sighed, sticking another forkful of salad in her mouth.

He nodded, a pleased smile on his face. "Okay, great."

They finished eating their dinner then, and shortly after Natsumi went to bed while Akito went back to his study to work a bit on his case. After a while he shut down his laptop and went to bed. He looked at Natsumi's peaceful face and let out a sigh, a small smile coming to his face as he thought about his day. It had turned out a lot better than he thought it would, and it appeared like he was making good progress in his relationship with her. Carefully, so that she didn't wake up, he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. Inhaling her sweet scent, he closed his eyes and joined her in sleep.


	6. Romancing

**Contract**

_Chapter Six_

-Romancing-

Natsumi walked through the front door, stopping in the foyer. "Akito!" she called, looking around the front. She pushed up her sunglasses, checking her phone to make sure she was home on time. She had spent the afternoon at her parent's house, enjoying lunch with them, and getting a lecture on how a proper little wife should behave.

She rolled her eyes at the thought, but walked forward. "Akito! I'm home!" she yelled once more. When she got no reply, she shrugged and headed up the stairs. "Must still be at the office." She said to herself. She went into their room and set her purse on the bed, tossing her keys and phone down as well.

Deciding she needed a shower before their night out, she went into the bathroom and took a quick, but relaxing shower. When she had finished, she wrapped herself with one of her fluffy white towels and walked into her closet, looking around for something to wear. What to wear? She didn't really know where he was taking her, but it was probably something she needed to dress for.

She tapped her chin, pulling down a white dress. It tied around the neck as a halter and had a beautiful black design on the front and all around the hem of the dress. After drying off she got dressed and blow dried her hair. Finally, she put on some make up, not really needing much since she had exquisite beauty.

Natsumi glanced over, looking at the time and went wide eyed. "Oh God!" she yelped and ran into her closet, grabbing some white, strappy heels and putting them on. She hurried out and headed down the steps, stopping at the foot when she saw the trail of rose petals leading out of the room.

Curiously she followed them, figuring that that was what she was supposed to do. They led her to the back patio, where Akito was waiting for her, a single red rose in his hand. He was still in his work clothes, but had un-tucked his light blue button down shirt and unbuttoned a few of the top buttons, rolling the sleeves up to just above his elbows in order to give him a more relaxed look. He was wearing khaki colored slacks, and some brown, casual dress shoes. He smiled when he saw her, and held out the rose. "Welcome home." He greeted. "You look beautiful."

She blinked, a small pink blush dusting across her cheeks as she took the rose. "Um, thank you." She said softly, touching the delicate petals with her fingertips. He stepped towards her and held out his hand for her to take. She placed hers in his, feeling her heart begin to race. Well this wasn't good, wasn't she supposed to be reluctant?

Akito leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek before turning and leading her towards the beach. He was really happy for some reason. Was this what it was supposed to feel like when you were married? He hoped so.

Walking out onto the sand, Natsumi could see that Akito had laid out a large blanket for them to sit on. There was a picnic basket, and a bucket of ice that held a bottle of white wine, two glasses next to it. "I hope you don't mind dining in tonight." Akito said when they stopped next to the blanket.

"Well it's still technically dining out." She said, giving him a small smirk. "But it looks lovely." She said, sitting down on the blanket, smoothing out her dress. She was glad it wasn't too windy and she wouldn't have to worry about her hair or her dress flying everywhere.

Akito sat down next to her and then popped open the bottle of wine, pouring her a glass. He handed it to her before pouring his own, and then picked up the picnic basket. He pulled out a plate of cheese and crackers as an appetizer and set it in front of them. Then he took out a bowl filled with Caesar salad, another bowl filled with broccoli and carrots, and last but not least, a plate with perfectly cooked steak on it that was already cut into cubes. He pulled out two plastic plates and two sets of silver wear, handing a set to Natsumi. "Dig in." he said, setting the basket aside. "Just let me know when you're ready for dessert."

"Alright." She smiled, eyeing the food hungrily. She was starving and it smelled unbelievably delicious. She got some salad and vegetables, piling her plate high and then getting the choice pieces of meat. She stuck her fork into the juicy meat and plopped it in her mouth, going wide eyed. "Wow," she gasped. "Javier really outdid himself tonight, this is absolutely delicious."

Akito smiled at her as he filled his own plate. "Javier has the night off." He told her. "I cooked this, along with dessert."

Natsumi just stared at him, "No you didn't…" she paused. "Did you?"

He nodded. "I took off work early so that everything would be ready when you got home."

"Oh," she blushed, taking a sip of her wine and looking off at the ocean. "Well…it's very...very good. Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He said, beginning to eat. He inwardly congratulated himself on his amazing idea to do a quiet dinner on the beach, just before the sunset, creating the perfect atmosphere for romance. And to top it all off, he had decided to cook dinner as well, earning himself brownie points with Natsumi. Because no matter what they said, every woman was a romantic at heart. "So how was your day?"

"It was alright. Just spent the afternoon with my parents." She sighed, taking another sip before eating her meal. It was just so delicious that she couldn't help but go for seconds. "This is really great." She complimented again.

"Thank you." He said, taking a sip of his wine. "While off at boarding school I had a free period, and so I would go harass the cooks in the kitchen. Eventually they just decided to teach me how to cook, saying that there should at least be one rich kid out there who knew how to fend for themselves." He smiled at the memory as he stared out at the ocean. Then he looked at her. "What about you? Did you ever learn to cook?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said, not really going into any detail. She was trying to stay distant, but it was becoming exceedingly difficult. "I, um, went to Italy for a summer and learned there. Plus my mom is a pretty good cook so…I guess most of it came from her."

"I've never been to Italy before. Did you like it?" he asked her before taking a bite of his salad. He was trying to get her to open up to him. There were so many things about her that he wanted to know, and he hoped that she felt the same about him.

She shrugged, "It's pretty nice. I've always wanted to go back. It was really beautiful." She smiled to herself, remembering her time there. "So much history…"

He gave her a thoughtful look. "Well…do you want to go there for our honeymoon? I know it's a ways away, but since I've never been, and you want to go back…I don't know…it just sounds like a good idea to me."

"Would that be possible?" she pursed her lips, trying not to let her excitement show. "I mean, with your case and all and then you'll be taking over your dad's company. Shouldn't we stay here?"

"You take priority over anything Natsumi. Remember that." He told her. "Besides, by then I should be done with this case, and my father can watch over the company while I'm gone. It won't kill him to do me the one favor." He said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile.

She blushed a dark red and focused on her food, mostly moving it around on her plate. "Oh well, I dunno. Wherever you want to go is fine with me. I just don't want it to be too hectic for you when you get back."

"Then we'll go to Italy. Do you think two weeks is too long?" he asked her, knowing that that was where she wanted to go anyways. "Or is it too short?"

"Way too short, it should be a month." She smiled, setting her plate down and lacing her fingers together. "So what's for dessert?"

He smiled at her and set down his plate. "Chocolate cheesecake." He said, pulling out the yummy dish and setting it down between them. He took out a knife and looked up at her. "How big do you want your piece?"

"Um, not too big. I already ate a lot, but I don't want it to be small." She said, pinching her fingers together to gauge the amount.

He cut her a piece and set it on a clean plate, doing the same for himself. He let out a content sigh as he took his first bite, pleased that it had turned out so well. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky with brilliant shades of orange, pink, and purple. She did the same and made an audible noise of appreciation. "Oh my! It's so yummy!"

"I'm glad you like it." He said, smiling as he took another bite. She smiled happily, taking another few bites, enjoying the meal and the beautiful sky.

After a while they both finished eating, and Akito packed away all of the dishes back into the basket. He leaned back on his arms, content to watch the sunset. Looking over at Natsumi, he noted how the light from the descending sun made her glow. He smiled wistfully, wishing that he could have met her under more normal circumstances. Perhaps then things would be different between them, and he wouldn't be so unsure of all of his actions. "You know I got this house because it came with its own section of the beach. I wanted to be able to say that I could go to the beach all the time without having to deal with all the tourists." He said, mostly just talking to himself.

"I kinda like the beach with people…" she said, leaning forward, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin in her intertwined fingers. "The noise of the beach is one of the most comforting things."

"I suppose. I really don't have a lot of time to just relax, so it doesn't really matter either way." He said.

"Too much of one thing is bad." She frowned, staring out at the waves. "If you work too much…something bad will happen…"

He looked over at her. "What do you mean? I know medically it isn't wise, but I figure as long as I get plenty of sleep I should be fine."

"Nothing." She sighed, closing her eyes and looking over at him since, the sun had almost fully set. "Well, I think I'm going to go ahead and call it an early night. I have to get up tomorrow and meet Minako…for wedding stuff." She looked off, running her fingers through the sand. She got up and dusted from strain grains off.

He stood as well, picking up the basket and the picnic blanket. "You know…if you want me to help you plan the wedding, I can. I'd like to be involved in the whole thing."

"That's ok. I know how busy you are." She gave him a small smile, walking with him back towards the house. "I can handle it, besides, it's not like I have anything better to do anyways."

"If you're sure. But I still want to help pick out the cake and stuff." He said. He walked her to the foot of the stairs, and before she went up, he caught her arm with his free hand and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'll be up in a minute, I need to put all this stuff away." He told her.

She just stared at him, a big blush on her face betraying the next words she spoke. "You shouldn't just do that. We don't like each other, remember?"

He gave her a small smile. "Well, you may not like me, but I kinda like you."

The red on her cheeks darkened into a cherry red and she turned around, heading up the steps quickly. Akito just sighed and shook his head, going back to the kitchen. Sometimes, she was such an odd woman.


	7. Phone Call

**Contract**

_Chapter Seven_

-Phone Call-

Natsumi sat in a pretty high end bar, mostly for the wealthy, and ordered another apple martini. Over the past couple days Akito had been more charming than ever, doing yoga with her, cooking for her, and appearing like the perfect man. But she knew, she knew there had to be something. There was always something wrong with everyone, and he was a lawyer. They were always bad. Lying and manipulating people just to win. She sighed. He didn't seem the type, but there just had to be something, or else why was she trying so hard not to like him?

He was so suave and clever, she rest her elbow on the bar and placed her chin on her palm. The bar tender walked over and set her martini in front of her. She'd already had four, but she didn't care. If she got too inebriated she could always call a cab and get a ride home.

She picked up the drink and downed it as quickly as she could. She couldn't believe she was actually falling for her fiancé. She didn't even get to pick him, so why was she even considering affection for him? She groaned, rubbing her forehead and pinching the bridge of her nose, this was just too complicated.

Someone took the seat beside her, but she didn't bother to look who it was, she didn't care. Men had been hitting on her all night, and all she did was show off her engagement ring and they seemed to go away. It was probably because she was dressed so tempting tonight, in a tight black dress that tied around her neck and dipped low, giving anyone a tease of her cleavage. "Well, well, well."

She froze at the sound of the voice and glanced over, meeting the lustful gaze of Stephan. "What the hell do you want?" she snapped, glaring at him. The bar tender set another martini down for her and she took it, not letting her eyes leave the man's. He glanced between the two, taking the empty glass and beginning to clean it, deciding to leave the area of conflict.

"I just noticed you here by yourself gorgeous. If you were my pretty little wife, I wouldn't let you out of the house." He smirked, placing a daring hand on her thigh. Her hazy gaze shifted down and then back up to him.

"You have about three seconds to get your filthy hand off me." She warned.

"You know I have a theory…" he began, rubbing her leg and making her grimace. "I don't think that you sleep with Akito, which doesn't surprise me. Akito is a pushover, always fighting for the weak. He could actually make some big money if he went in a different direction." He smirked.

Natsumi grabbed his wrist and removed it from her skin, getting up after downing the rest of her drink. "Don't touch me again." She said seriously, walking off with a bit of difficulty. Yeah, she had had way too much to drink. He stood as well, glaring after her.

"Bitch. Don't you dare disrespect me. I don't know how your pussy of a fiancé allows you to treat him, but you will not reject me you pompous slut. Get your ass back here. I'm going to shove it to Akito in the worst way possible."

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her hands formed into fists and she turned her body slightly, glaring back at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, and who knows, you might like it. Besides, we don't even have to tell Akito unless you really want to. He's not worthy of a beauty like you. Little rich boy know-it-all." He smirked, pointing to the ground beside him, as if to show her where she belonged.

"That's it," she seethed, facing him and walking forward. She was sick and tired of this asshole bashing Akito.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the door of Akito's study, making him stop in his work and glance up. "What." He demanded.<p>

"Um, sir," the butler said, clearing his throat. "You have a phone call."

"You know I don't take calls while I'm working Henry." He said, returning to his laptop.

"B-but sir." Henry stuttered. "It's Miss Natsumi."

Surprise lit his gaze and he immediately picked up the phone on his desk, which was linked to all the other phones as well. "Natsumi?" he asked into the receiver, wanting to make sure that it was in fact her.

'_Hi baby!' _A loud voice almost shouted into his ear, making him pull the phone away slightly. '_I need you to come pick me up. Ok, I'm a little drunk and sorta in a predicament._' She slurred, giggling after almost every word.

"Where are you?" he asked cautiously, not even sure he really wanted to know.

'_Well…_' she paused, it seeming to take a great effort for her to form a sentence. '_Some nice men in blue came and got me, but now they want money. So you have to come and pay them to come get me out…and it's so icky here, so hurry up, I wanna come home._'

He sighed, knowing enough about the criminal justice system to figure that she was in jail. Great. Just great. "Well, you tell the nice men in blue that I will be there in fifteen minutes tops. Okay?" he asked, hoping that she would be okay until then.

'_Ok…can you get me some Taco Bell? I'm super hungry and my stomach is guuuuuurgling._' She laughed, trying to get a hold of herself. '_Hey! Give it back ugly!_' she shouted.

'_Excuse me sir, this is Officer Morris. Are you going to be coming down, or do I have permission to lock her up with the others?_'

"Yes Officer, I'm on my way. I should be there in fifteen minutes." He hesitated before saying. "Can you make sure she doesn't hurt herself until then? I would be very grateful."

'_It's not her we're worried about sir. She beat the snot out of a grown man. Just hurry down here and get her._' He said before the line went dead.

He sighed and put down the phone before grabbing his keys. He hurried down the stairs, and turned to Henry when he opened the door for him. "Just head on home Henry. Natsumi and I will be back late, and I don't want your wife to nag me about keeping you out too late." He instructed.

"Thank you sir. I hope everything is okay with Miss Natsumi." The old man said.

"You and me both." Akito muttered, hopping in his car and driving out of the neighborhood. He picked up some Taco Bell the way she wanted, but doubted she'd eat much of it. Because if she threw up in his car, he would kill her.

It didn't take him too long to get to the jail, and after finding a parking spot, went inside. He walked up to the front desk. "My name is Uchiha Akito. I'm here to get my fiancé, Natsumi." He said to the officer behind the desk.

The woman glanced up at him and gave him a sympathetic look. "The _crazy_ woman. Sir, not to be rude or anything, and I'm all for power of the female, but you really need to shorten that girl's leash." She pressed the intercom button and cleared her throat. "Bring Sabaku no Natsumi out, Mr. Uchiha is here." She focused back on the man and gave him a small smile as they waited, since it would be a while.

"If you don't mind me asking…" Akito began, looking slightly nervous. "What exactly did she do to get arrested?"

The woman sighed and pulled out a file. "Well, she was arrested for aggravated assault. She sent a man to the hospital. A Mr. Stephan Brooks. Two black eyes, a few broken ribs, and that was just from us having to pull her off him."

He let out an impressed whistle, making a mental note to never piss her off. Ever. "Did she say why she attacked him?"

"She didn't. But we got some statements, and everyone in the bar said that he was trying to make a move on her and then he started insulting…well, you, Mr. Uchiha." She glanced down at the few written things in the file. "One man says 'He was bad mouthing some guy named Akito and that was when she walked up to him and socked him in the face', so according to all the evidence we have, he really can't press any charges since it was 'self-defense' on her part."

He nodded, absorbing all this information. "Okay, thank you for telling me. How much is her bail?" he pulled out his wallet then.

"It's going to be a thousand dollars sir. I know she might have been in the right, but she shouldn't have gone that far." She said simply, pulling out a payment form.

He took a pen that was sitting in a cup with a few other writing utensils and filled out the form. Then he opened up his wallet and pulled out a few bills, setting them on top of the paper. "Here you go." He said, sliding it across the desk to her.

"Thank you." She nodded and placed the money away as well as the form.

"Akito! You came for me!" Natsumi squealed, making the officer holding her wince. He pulled her over towards the man and un-cuffed her, giving her a small push.

"Try to lay off the alcohol ma'am." He instructed, and then gave Akito a nod before leaving. Natsumi almost fell over without any support, but grabbed onto the desk, shaking her head.

"Lay off the alcohol he says." She scoffed. "I'm fine."

"Obviously." Akito said with a roll of his eyes, walking towards her and picking her up in his arms. "Thank you Officer." He nodded to the receptionist before heading out of the jail. He looked down at Natsumi. "I got you some Taco Bell, but if you're feeling nauseous, I don't want you to eat it on the off chance you puke in my car." He told her. She was simply in bliss, laying her head back and staring at the buildings.

"I'm starving!" she said loudly, waving her hands in the air. He sighed and opened the door to the car, sitting her in the passenger seat and then buckling her up, since she was completely useless in such tasks at this moment. He walked around the car and got in, starting it and heading back in the direction of home. She picked up the bag and started eating, munching hungrily on the chips.

He glanced at her before looking back to the road. "So, do you want to tell me why I had to come bail you out of jail?" he asked. He knew the answer, obviously, but he wanted to know if she would tell him what happened. What her reason was for attacking Stephan, though one doesn't really need much of a reason, since he's an asshole. But that was beside the point.

"Cause' I beat someone up." She frowned, sounding like a child being forced to admit something bad they had done.

"Who did you beat up?" he asked.

"Some douche bag." She replied, still not looking at him.

He tried to hide his smile. "And why did you beat up this douche bag?"

Her frown turned into a grimace and she gripped her knees tightly, "Because I felt like it."

Akito held in a disappointed sigh. He wished she would feel like she could open up to him about things. If she couldn't even do that, then how was their marriage supposed to work? "Why do you do it?" he asked, looking at her, since they were at a red light. "Why do you go out and shop all day and party all night? I mean, don't you ever miss your job?" he asked.

"No." she said quickly, lifting her hand and wiping at her face, trying not to seem too obvious about the fact she had begun to tear up. "And I do that stuff so I don't have to think okay, it's nice not to have responsibilities."

"Well, why did you quit?" he just had to know, had to at least try to get her to tell him about her life. "Was being a doctor not what you thought it would be?"

Her angry expression vanished and was replaced by one of sorrow. "Have you ever watched someone die…" she trailed off, feeling the tears flow down her cheeks. "Have you ever seen something go so horribly wrong that all you can do is watch until they finally succumb to death…when it's _all_ your fault?" She said harshly, her hands clenching into fists.

"No," he shook his head, beginning to pick up her somber mood. "I can't say that I have."

"There was a boy." She said softly, trying to wipe away her tears once more. "A boy far too young…and he had lung cancer…a very aggressive lung cancer. They begged me to do the transplant. I had just worked a seventy-two hour shift. I told them no, that it would be too risky and to let another doctor do it, but I was the specialist they wanted…I should of said no…I should have said no." she cried into her hands, reliving the horrible memory in her vivid intoxicated state.

Akito frowned as he pulled into the driveway to their house. Parking the car, he got out and walked over to her side, opening the door and lifting her into his arms once more. He grabbed the bag of fast food trash so that his car wouldn't smell, and walked over to a bench that was in front of his house. He sat on it with her still in his lap, and began to make soothing noises, rocking her back and forth in order to try and alleviate some of her pain. He knew no words would make her feel better. That this was just one of those things where the person needs to move past it on their own in order to fully heal. She just cried into him, gripping onto his shirt and beginning to sob. "I killed him. I killed that sweet little boy. That's why I stopped…this way…I can't hurt anyone but myself."

"I don't want you to hurt Natsumi." He said softly, stroking her head. "And, if you tried your best to save his life, which knowing you, you did, then it can't be your fault. To me, that just meant that it was his time to go." He told her.

"He was seven…" she breathed out, shutting her eyes tightly, which did nothing to stop the tears. "He was only seven Akito…"

He felt something in his chest ache at her torment. Pulling away from her slightly, he cupped her face with his hands and began to wipe away her tears with his thumbs. "Natsumi, look at me." He said, waiting until her teary gaze met his own. "No one person is to blame for any of the bad things that happen in this world. It is a multitude of events, timing, people, and circumstances that do it all. And I don't know if you care about my opinion or anything, but I don't blame you. At all." He said, stroking her mostly dry cheek with his thumb.

"I just…" she leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder and then slumping into his hold. He gripped onto her when she almost fell from his grasp and noticed she had passed out. He sighed, knowing that he would probably never get to hear what she was going to say. Resituating her in his arms, he rose from his seat and carried her inside the house and up to their room. Laying her on the bed gently, he threw away the trash before pulling out one of her favorite sets of pajamas that she liked to wear. A pair of short shorts and a black tank top.

He carefully took off her heels, and then moved her so that he could take off her dress. Sliding it down her body, he only allowed himself a glimpse of her exposed skin before dressing her in her night clothes and tucking her into the bed. He put her dress in the hamper before putting on a pair of sleep pants himself and crawling into bed next to her. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he wrapped an arm around her so that she would feel his support in her sleep. He had learned a lot about Natsumi in this night, and hoped that everything else about her he learned, he did when she was sober.


	8. Headlines

**Contract**

_Chapter Eight_

-Headlines-

Akito rubbed his temple, trying to will away the headache he could feel coming. He'd just finished meeting with his client, and so far, things were not going well. The people he was fighting against in court were slippery bastards, trying to use every underhanded trick in the book. There was a knock on his office door, and he let out a sigh, sitting up and appearing as if nothing was bothering him. "Enter." He ordered.

His secretary, Heather, walked in, holding the newspaper in her hands. She was a very attractive woman, tall, willowy build and breasts that looked like they were going to overflow from her dress shirt. She had a mouth that pouted naturally, and her amethyst eyes were the perfect contrast to her fiery red hair. He had considered starting an affair with her, before he got engaged, but the fact that they worked together stopped him, along with the knowledge that it was just too cliché. The lawyer and his secretary. If people found out, the press would have a field day, and that was not the kind of publicity he wanted.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Uchiha, but have you read the paper today?" she asked, staying in his doorway.

He raised a brow at her. "No, I did not have time to do so this morning. Why? Is there something in there about the case?" he asked her.

She shook her head, her face sporting a slightly sad look. Her heels clicked across the hard wood floor as she made her way to his desk and placed the morning's paper in front of him. He picked it up and scanned the page. _'Sabaku no Natsumi Gets Arrested for Assault'_ it read, and as he glanced at the article, he could feel his anger growing. It seemed Stephan had gone to the press and told them his side of the story. One particular quote made him pause. _'If Akito can't control his own fiancé, how is he going to be able to head Uchiha Corp.?'_, his grip tightened on the paper, and he set it down, looking up at Heather, who was leaning on his desk and giving him a nice view of her cleavage.

"Thank you for bringing this to my knowledge Heather. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot to get done before I head home for the night." He said.

She smiled at him. "Of course sir. Just remember that if you need anything, anything at all, to call." She said, walking out of his office and shutting the door behind her. Akito let out a sigh and resumed rubbing his temples, his headache now arriving. The case he was dealing with was already tiring enough, and with the added press, the next few weeks were going to be hell. He picked up the paper again and read the entire article and all of its lies. Apparently they thought he had pulled some strings down at the police station, and that was why Stephan couldn't press charges.

With another sigh, he put down the paper and resumed typing up his notes on today's meeting, feeling older than he really was.

* * *

><p>He came home later that day than normal, missing yoga with Natsumi, and could smell the almost fully prepared dinner. Somewhat wearily he shrugged out of his coat, thanking Henry when he took it from him to hang up. Natsumi, it seemed, had finished yoga already, and was probably upstairs showering. He picked up his briefcase, leaving the paper on a table next to the entryway, and went upstairs in order to put his work in his study.<p>

He rolled up his sleeves, as was his habit whenever he came home, but this time, instead of unbuttoning only the top buttons of his shirt, he unbuttoned it all the way, revealing the white undershirt he usually wore. He un-tucked it and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to relieve some of the tension he felt there. Hearing Natsumi call to him that dinner was ready as she went down the stairs, he sighed once more.

Why was it that ever since she had come to stay with him he felt like an old man? It just didn't make sense. Rolling his neck in order to pop it, he turned and went downstairs and to the dining room. Glancing at his wife-to-be, he wordlessly sat down and began to eat, not bothering with the normal chit-chat that he attempted with her every day.

Natsumi watched Akito as he began to eat, already noting his odd aura. There was something seriously off, especially since he wasn't acting in his norm. "So…how was work?" she found herself saying, as she started eating her green beans.

"Fine." He said, taking a sip of his water and then continuing to eat.

"Um…" she looked off, pushing her food around on her plate. She could feel the tension between them only getting thicker. "So did you make any headway on your case? I was thinking…maybe sometime this week…I could make you lunch and bring it to you."

He continued to eat, not looking at her. Since when did she care about his day, or how things were going in his life? "Things are not going well, so your presence would only cause problems." He said tersely. Because if she came to his office she could make things worse for him, and he didn't want that. In this moment, Akito didn't really care about whether or not he hurt her feelings. She didn't seem to care about his, so why care about hers?

"Oh…" she frowned, looking down and eating silently. Something had happened, something bad, she could feel it. "Is…is something wrong? Why are you acting so strange?" she asked boldly, looking up at him.

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze for the first time since he had arrived home, and the impassiveness she saw in the depths of his eyes startled her. "Many things are wrong. None of which I wish to discuss with you." He said, placing his napkin on the table and rising. "I will be in my study." He announced before turning and walking out of the room, his dinner not even half eaten.

"Akito." She called, standing up and following after him. "What happened? Why don't you want to talk about it? You're always telling me we should talk, how come you're so reluctant right now? Maybe I can help." She said, trying to hurry up the steps since he didn't stop. "Akito!" she glared, not liking that he was ignoring her. And then he slammed the door in her face. "AKITO!" she shrieked now, pushing into the study. "What the hell is going on?"

"If you had read today's paper, you would know." He said, picking up his briefcase and taking out his laptop so that he could begin to work. She looked around and saw the plastic wrapped paper, sitting in one of the chairs by his desk. She picked it up and pulled it out, opening it to the front page and going wide eyed. Her eyes scanned the words quickly.

"This is a lie! They can't print this!" she glared up at him, crumpling up the paper and throwing it aside. "That isn't what happened! He was feeling me up!" she yelled, pointing at the offending print.

He sat down and looked at her. "The fact that we both know it isn't the truth changes nothing. They can print whatever they want, and the public will believe them. It is how the press works."

"Well if you know, then why are you getting mad at me?" she glared.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before looking back at her. "It is not so much anger at you then me just being in a bad mood, okay? Things like that," he pointed to the crumpled paper. "Negatively affect my work and my clients. I received a phone call from my father earlier and had to listen to him, then I had to call your father before he could call me, not to mention the field of reporters waiting for me outside my office." He said. "I know that things like this don't affect you or your lifestyle, and I'm okay with that, I understand. But it affects me, and I am tired of feeling like I'm the only one putting any effort into making this work between us." He rubbed his forehead again, his headache still present. He'd said more than he meant to, and was now angry at himself for revealing some of his feelings to her.

"Oh…" she looked off, running her hand through her hair and pulling on it slightly. "Well…um…I can be good." She said softly, looking up at him sadly.

"No." he shook his head, remembering how broken she had been when she'd told him why she didn't work anymore. She didn't really remember of course, and he was not one to bring such things up. "I don't want you to feel like you have to change the lifestyle you're comfortable with just for me. I can deal with the press, it isn't the first time they've made up things about me or my family." He said.

She shook her head, "No. I don't want to make you more stressed than you are. It's ok, besides, I'm used to it anyways." She shrugged and turned around, heading for the door. "I'll be back later. I need to go talk to my dad." She said, leaving before he could stop her.

He watched her go and sighed. Why couldn't his life just be simpler? Shaking his head, he opened his laptop and turned it on, preparing for the long hours he would be awake working.


	9. Surprise

**Contract**

_Chapter Nine_

-Surprise-

Gaara, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata sat around a table on the patio of a high end bistro. They had met for lunch to talk about business and the most recent agreement they had drawn up. The marriage of their children. Gaara picked up his cup of coffee and took a long sip, grabbing the paper that was under it and opening it up. He choked on the liquid and sat up, hitting his chest.

"Honey?" Sakura went wide eyed, placing her hand on her husband's back and rubbing it soothingly. "What's wrong, are you okay?"

Gaara just held his hand over his mouth and handed her the paper. She took it and went wide eyed, beginning to read the headline aloud. _"'Uchiha engagement seems to finally be heating up.'_ It says here, that _'Uchiha Akito and, soon to be, Uchiha Natsumi, were seen at Mahlie's florist, picking out their flowers for the big day. Which was followed by a day together of wedding shopping.'_ And apparently, it goes on about how the Uchiha bride to be has finally stepped into place, letting her wild child parade finally come to an end."

"Probably drugged her." Gaara mumbled, looking off into the street. Sakura hit him lightly on the arm.

"Or maybe she saw the error of her ways." She said, wanting to think the best of her daughter.

Naruto snickered. "I bet the sex is real good, and in order to keep getting it she's behaving." Hinata covered her mouth in slight embarrassment.

"Naruto!" she gasped.

"What?" the blonde man asked. "It's possible!"

Gaara just shook his head. "Naw trust me, if they were having sex, everyone would probably know about it."

"Besides, I highly doubt she likes my son that much." Sasuke said, taking a sip of his coffee. "He isn't all that likeable to most people."

"Well, maybe that's because he's your son." Naruto joked, making a face at his friend.

Sakura sighed. "Naruto, would it ever kill you to act your age?"

"Yup!" he said with a bright smile. "Besides, now that I'm becoming an old man, I can totally pretend to be senile!" This caused Hinata to smack herself on the forehead. Sometimes her husband continued to surprise her.

"I can't believe she's actually behaving. I thought it was odd when she came and asked for my credit card." Gaara sighed, leaning back in his chair. "She's actually wearing clothes a young woman her age should wear, looking all nice and presentable."

Sakura gave him a confused look. "Did she say what she needed your credit card for?"

"She said she wanted to go shopping." He shrugged. "I didn't know it was going to be for proper clothing."

"Interesting." She smiled slightly. "Well, if she's trying to do better, then perhaps this will work out after all."

"Yeah, until she snaps like she did before." He pointed out.

She sighed. "Maybe…maybe Akito will be able to keep her sane." She said softly.

Sasuke gave her a pointed look. "Not that your faith isn't admirable Sakura, but there's only so much he'll be willing to put up with. If something goes wrong for too long and he doesn't foresee a favorable outcome, Akito will pull the plug. Such is the way his brilliant mind works. It is how he chooses what cases to take, and always wins." He explained. "And is what will make him the perfect head to Uchiha Corp."

Gaara simply smirked, twisting his silver spoon in his hand. "Yes well, your brilliant son is going to end up brilliantly heirless if he doesn't know how to bend to a woman's needs. A woman…is not like a case. She is much more complex than that."

"Why do you think I never married? You have far much more strength than I, my friend, to be able to put up with Sakura for the rest of your life." He said, smirking at her.

"Hey!" she crossed her arms angrily. "I'm not a difficult person to put up with! I am actually quite pleasant to be around." She huffed, raising her chin slightly.

Gaara had to stop himself from laughing. "Yeah…you're a breeze." He said, placing his hand on her leg and rubbing her thigh with his thumb.

She pouted slightly, and turned her gaze to her husband. "Humph." Was all she said.

Naruto smiled in satisfaction. "Well, at least Hinata and I didn't have to go through this with Minako. Pretty lucky that she and Toshiro got to grow up together and get married in a _normal_ way." He said.

"Well it's not our fault that Akito was sent to a boarding school for his entire life." Sakura snapped, and then looked at Sasuke, realizing that she might have offended him unintentionally.

He just sighed. "I did that for his own good. We all know that I am not parent material." He said.

"Yes, but Minako isn't as independent as Natsumi either." Gaara said simply, "I think it's pretty interesting."

"I have to agree with you there, Gaara. I am in fact surprised things are progressing as well as they are, considering two extremely independent people, who were happy in their independence, are being forced to learn how to depend on the other." Hinata chimed.

The red head just laughed, "Yes, well, we'll just have to see how well things are real going." He stood then, pulling out his wallet and tossing a few bills on the table. "Lunch is on me. I've got a two o'clock meeting, so I'll see you all later." He offered his hand down to Sakura then. "Let go sweetheart."

She took his hand and rose. "Alright dear." Then she looked at everyone and nodded. "Bye guys." She said before turning and leaving with her husband.

"Bye!" Naruto yelled with a wave. He sat back down in his seat and looked at his silent friend. "So Sasuke, do you think it will last?" he asked in curiosity.

"I hope so." He murmured before standing. "I must return to work. There is an important matter that needs my attention." He left before the blonde could say anything. It was true though, he wanted the marriage to work. Because not only did his son need someone who would defy him and test his patience, he actually approved of Natsumi, strange as it sounded. Though he hadn't been around her much, or for very long, there was something about the girl that endeared her to him, and he wanted her to be part of his family.

Naruto just looked at his wife. "I am so happy our lives were never that complicated." He said, placing his hand over hers under the table.

She smiled at him, lacing her fingers through his. "Me too."


	10. Battle of the Beauties

**Contract**

_Chapter Ten_

-Battle of the Beauties-

Natsumi walked into the front of the building, looking around the massive area. The walls were made of windows and everything was nice and clean, a small sitting area scattered around the lobby. She had made sure to dress conservatively today, since she would be visiting him in his office. She had on an expensive pair of black pumps, a black pencil skirt with a slit up the back, stopping mid-thigh, and a black button up dress shirt. She was even wearing a necklace Akito had gotten for her, that was his family's insignia, made up of a cut ruby and diamond.

Her hair was done perfectly, falling just above her shoulders. Her matching bag hanging in the crook of her arm and the bag holding hers and Akito's homemade lunch in the other. She walked towards the front desk and smiled at the woman. "Hello, I'm Natsumi. I'm here to see my fiancé, Akito."

"Oh my." The elder woman seemed to brighten. "You're a lot prettier than you are in your pictures Miss Natsumi. Yes, Mr. Uchiha is on the fifth floor, that's his office."

"Thank you." She nodded and headed towards the elevator. It had been a little over a week since the news fiasco. She'd actually changed her behavior and was acting like the perfect little wife. It was boring, and somewhat irritating, pretending to be so controlled. But Akito seemed to like it, and he was in a better mood now that she had 'calmed down'. At least he was happy, probably because he thought he didn't force her into the change, when technically he didn't, but it was for him.

They seemed to be getting along better, though she still didn't talk to him the way he wanted her to. But that wouldn't change any time soon. She stepped out of the elevator and looked at the names listed, finding Akito's. It wasn't that he wasn't wonderful, or nice, or anything. She just couldn't get the fact that they were forced to be married out of her head. But still…at times she felt…she stopped when she turned the corner, going wide eyed.

A bit down the hall was a slender, fiery haired woman, who was dressed formally, but her exposed chest seemed to draw every eye, even her own. Natsumi hurried back around the corner and let out a deep breath. Never in her life had she felt challenged by another woman, until now. Did she _really_ work here with Akito? She grimaced, feeling something. She stopped her thoughts and glanced back around the corner. Was she jealous? She shook her head and set down her purse and her bag, undoing a few buttons on her own shirt, to where it was still considered modest but alluring. She pushed up her breasts and messed with her hair a bit before taking her things once more and turning the corner with a confident strut.

She stopped when she was in front of the woman's desk. "I'm here to see my fiancé, Akito, is he in his office?" she asked, trying to seem pleasant, but at the same time threatening.

The woman held up her hand from her spot behind the desk, signaling that she wanted Natsumi to be quiet. Anger flared, and before she could comment about her manners, and how unprofessional she was being, the woman spoke up.

"Yes Mr. Simpson, I will make sure he knows straight away. Next Tuesday at one-thirty, the southern courthouse. Mhmm. Uh huh. Yes. Okay then! You have a great day!" she said perkily, reaching up and clicking the Bluetooth that was connected to her ear, previously hidden by her hair. Her kind look faded and she raised a brow at Natsumi, as if she didn't belong there. "Can I help you?" she asked.

Natsumi had to physically prevent herself from rolling her eyes and giving this woman a piece of her mind. "Yes actually you can. I'm here to see my fiancé. Is he in his office or not." She demanded, becoming all the more irritated with this woman's presence.

"And your fiancé is…?" she asked, her tone insinuating that she thought the woman before her was stupid.

Oh this harlot was just asking for it. "Uchiha Akito." She seethed out.

Unfazed, she pulled out a book and flipped it open. It was a calendar of the week. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked, looking back up at Natsumi.

"Of course I don't have an appointment! I can see him whenever the hell I want to you bimbo!" She froze then. Whoops. That was only supposed to be in her head. "Look." She ground out, holding her hand up, palm out. "Just tell me if he's in there or not, or I'll just go find out myself."

Sighing, Heather stood and leveled her with a glare. "I was not given instructions as to whether or not you are allowed to visit Akito during business hours. On top of that, I cannot have you just wondering around. This is a _civilized_ place, after all." She sneered, somewhat politely. "So if you do not remove yourself from the premises, I will have no other choice but to call security, Miss Sabaku. Though I trust you are familiar with that process."

Natsumi's jaw literally dropped, but the retort only fueled her anger. "Go ahead and call them." She smirked, but it was far from friendly, or even taunting, and did nothing to hide the icy glare she was giving Heather. "By the time they get here, your pretty little face is going to be about as appealing as a seventy-five year old man's ass."

"Is that a threat?" Heather leaned forward.

The pink haired woman scoffed, "Of course it is. And as you have clearly read…I beat the crap out of a man twice my size, you think I can't take you on? I'd snap you like a toothpick."

Before anything more could be said, Akito walked down the hall, wearing black slacks and a white button up shirt, and a pair of reading glasses, looking over a brief. "Hey Heather, I need you to call Donovan and ask him if he can get me those files on the Furguson Case." he ordered, looking up and taking in the scene before him. "Natsumi? What are you doing here?" he asked, slightly confused.

Heather straightened and gave her boss a smile, pushing her chest forward a bit. "Miss Sabaku came to see you sir. I was just directing her to your office, if you are not too busy." She said.

"I'm never too busy for Natsumi." He said, waving her over. "My office is this way." Natsumi turned and followed him, glancing back and sticking her tongue out at the horrible woman. So this woman was his secretary. That didn't bode well. Everyone knew what lawyers did with their attractive secretaries.

They walked down the hall, where there was a large set of oak double doors. He opened one, and held it for her to enter. After he did he shut it and gave her a small smile. "This is a pleasant surprise. Can I ask what it is for?" he asked, looking over her form.

"I, uh," she paused seeming to forget her reason for coming in the first place. "Oh." She blinked and held up the bag. "I made you lunch and thought…I could bring it to you. Is that your secretary?" she asked quickly, staring up at him, locking her gaze with his.

His brow furrowed at her sudden question. "Yes. Why?" he asked.

"I want you to fire her." She said seriously.

He tilted his head to the side, showing his confusion. "Do you have a reason for such a request?"

"Just look at her Akito." She gestured to the door. "She's so gross and dirty, and she obviously wants to have sex with you." Then she froze, her gaze leaving his before quickly returning. "Unless she already has and now is pissed cause' she can't anymore." She felt her stomach drop. She wasn't stupid to think Akito had never done anything with a woman before, but the fact that one of them could possibly be right down the hall, tangible, and right in front of her, made everything seem very surreal.

"Natsumi." He said, halting her train of thought. "Not only has it been a long time since I have been with a woman, but I have never been with one that I work with, whether it is directly or through a client. It just isn't advised. On top of that, you do not need to worry, I will remain faithful to you, and you alone." He smirked slightly. "But, if it would make you happy, I will be sure to hire a new secretary. One that could be my grandmother. How's that?"

"I'd prefer a man." She said softly, looking off, crossing her arms over her chest.

His smirk widened. "Do you want him to be gay or straight?" he asked. "Though I would prefer a straight man."

"I think we both would prefer him to be straight," she pointed at him, glancing back up only to have a light blush dust across her cheeks. "Stop staring at me you weirdo." She huffed, walking over to his desk and pulling out a box. "I made you a tradition Japanese bento box. It's got sushi, rice, some meats, since I know you like steak, and fried vegetables."

He smiled and walked up behind her, looking at everything she had prepared. "Thank you." He murmured, kissing her cheek before moving around his desk and taking a seat, putting away the papers in his hands.

Her blush was only darker now as she placed the box down in front of him and offered him a pair of chop sticks. "Well I didn't have anything else to do, and I'd never been here, so I thought why not." She shrugged, acting as if it were no big deal.

"Feel free to come up for lunch whenever you like." He said, opening his bento and breaking apart his chopsticks. "Your company is preferred over the people here."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Wow really? People here are worse than your wife who _tries_ to make your life miserable?" she smirked.

He chuckled. "What can I say? They aren't as fetching as you are." He complimented, taking a bite. "This is really good."

Natsumi shrugged, smiling at him. "Thanks." she looked around the office, noting it was very similar to his study at home. "Well, that's really all. So I guess I'll just go ahead and head home now. I don't want to keep you from your work. You sound really busy."

He paused in eating and looked up at her. "You're not going to stay?" he asked. "I mean," realizing that he sounded almost pouty, he tried to phrase it differently. "You don't have to leave, if you don't want to. My lunch break lasts from twelve to one-thirty, so we have time."

"Oh well…" she blushed, leaning her back against the door and gripping one of the knobs. "I dunno. I was going to go shopping and…just…you know what. Yeah, I'd like to stay." She smiled, moving away from the door and sitting down in one of the plush seats in front of his desk. She took out another box that was in the bag before, folding it up and placing it in the seat beside her.

She broke her own chopsticks and started eating, simply looking around once more as if to try and memorize the office. Akito gave her an incredulous look. "You had your own lunch in there, and you weren't initially going to stay and eat with me?" he asked, hiding the slight hurt he had felt that the knowledge.

"I actually made you two…since I didn't know how hungry you would be. And I wanted to make sure you had enough. Since…I've never really cooked for you before and you never have the same appetite so it's been difficult to assess." She blushed, poking at a rice ball.

He blinked, caught completely off guard by her admission. "Oh, well…thank you. Again." He said, moving a few things around in his bento. "So, how has your day been so far?" he asked her.

"It's been ok, nothing to report really. Got up, took a shower, went shopping for supplies to make you lunch, then made it, and then brought it here." She shrugged, beginning to eat, which by now he knew meant she was starting to relax. "But I had an awful run in with that disgusting whore of a secretary. She was going to call security and try and have me removed. I tell you, she does _not_ know who she's dealing with." She huffed, biting angrily into her sushi roll.

He bit back a chuckle. "So that's the commotion I heard." He said, taking a bite of his steak. "You know, when you're angry, you have quite a way with words." He smiled at her.

"I can't help it," she whined, giving him a small pout. "I'm like a puffer fish. I'm cute and adorable but if you make me mad, I'll huff and stab you with my little needles of violent words." She huffed, making a little stab with her chopsticks for emphasis.

Unable to hold it back any longer, he laughed, really and truly laughed. And as he did so, he felt his stress of the day evaporate from his shoulders. Natsumi just blinked, staring at him as if he were crazy. Had what she said really been that funny? "Um…are you ok?" she asked, leaning a bit forward. "Are you on some kind of medication or something?"

"If I say I am, can we play doctor?" he asked, his laughter turning into light chuckles.

She arched a delicate brow, slowly standing and walking around his desk. "Are you trying to instigate something sexual? _Mr_. Uchiha?" she asked, running her finders across his broad shoulders as she passed behind him and then sat down on the edge of his desk.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise and he looked up at her. He honestly hadn't thought she would do that, brush it off and blush maybe, but not _that_. And she looked so sexy in her work clothes too. "Possibly. Are you going to indulge me, _Doctor_ Natsumi?" he asked, turning his chair slightly to better face her.

She smirked, touching his lips with her index finger to silence him. "As a doctor no longer in practice, I can only tend to people who are in _dire_ need. Would you qualify?"

"Oh yes, I do believe I am." He said against her finger, the corner of his mouth tilting slightly in a smile.

"Well then," she leaned forward, removing her finger, her lips only a centimeter from his. The door opened, making both of them look over, but not move from how close they were. Heather walked in, taking in the scene.

She did not look happy, but focused her gaze on Akito. "Sir, Donovan is on line one for you."

"Thank you Heather. I will take it shortly." He said. When she didn't leave, he raised a brow. "Was there more you needed to tell me?" he asked.

"N-no sir." She stuttered, quickly exiting the office and shutting the door. Akito sighed, knowing that his moment with Natsumi was probably lost now.

"You were right, I need to fire her." He said.

"Well I think I'm going to head home then, since I don't want to be in your way. I'll see you tonight." She waved, grabbing her purse and heading towards door. "Kick some butt," she smiled as she opened the door, disappearing behind it.

Akito sighed and threw away the trash to both of their lunches. Before the day was over, he swore to himself, he would fire Heather for interrupting him.


	11. Snooping

**Contract**

_Chapter Eleven_

-Snooping-

Natsumi was laying flat on her back on one of the living room couches, reading one of the many books she had brought with her. She was in the middle of a fantasy, back in ancient times when an angel had come down to earth to slay a dragon, which incidentally she was falling in love with.

She sighed contently, closing the book and setting it down on the coffee table before sitting up and looking around. It was early in the afternoon, and she had already worked out, gone for a swim, and had lunch. So what else was there to do?

She got up and looked around the living room, deciding to explore. She had given herself a tour when she moved in, but she didn't really get a chance to look around. So she started, taking in every room with great detail. As she moved around the house, she noticed it was bare. Not that there wasn't furniture, since then entire house was done professionally. But there were absolutely no photos anywhere.

Not of his father, or of anyone else in his family. When she thought about her house, there were pictures everywhere. Of her mother and her friends, her and her brother, and of their family. She just found it odd. When she did find one, it was one she had put up. She frowned, did he really not like his family that much? She went upstairs then and into his study. There was a frame sitting on the desk, so she walked over and picked it up, seeing the smiling faces of both Akito and her brother.

They looked so happy, it was actually the only picture he had. She set it back down and tapped her chin, heading back downstairs and going into one of the spare rooms she had put her excess items in. She pulled down a box and searched through the photos inside. It took a while, but she finally found the one she was searching for.

She stood and hurried out of the room, setting the photo down on one of the side tables. "I'll be right back Henry! Just running to the store!" she called, leaving the house. She wasn't gone long and when she came back she took out a beautiful silver frame. She took the picture and put it in, smiling down at it.

After she threw the bag away, she went back upstairs and set the frame on the other side of his desk and clapped her hands together. "Perfect." She said, glancing down and seeing a manila folder sitting on the desk. Curiosity getting the better of her, she sat down in his chair and picked up the folder.

She looked over the contents, finding a medical report and a few pictures. She set it down and leaned over the photos, spreading them out and examining them. "Hm." She tapped her chin, picking up a picture. Suddenly she heard the door open and then Akito's voice, talking to Henry. She hurriedly pushed all the papers and pictures into the folder and righted the folder.

She ran to the door and turned off the light, closing it as quietly as she could. She turned around and screamed, slamming right into Akito. "Oh God! Akito!" she went wide eyed, her hand moving directly over her racing heart.

He raised a brow and looked down at her. "Hm, not exactly the situation I pictured you exclaiming that, but for now it will do." He said. Then he frowned slightly. "What were you doing in my study?" he asked.

She blushed from embarrassment at being caught and from his words. "Um, nothing." She lied quickly, trying to move around him.

"Natsumi." He said, crossing his arms, the action pulling his dress shirt tighter over his shoulders, making his muscles more defined. "If I have learned anything over the past weeks that with you, it's that it's never nothing."

"Or it's always nothing." She replied smartly, holding up a finger of protest.

"Meaning that it's something." He retorted, gently grasping her finger in his hand.

"Or meaning that it's really nothing." She said, sounding strained as she tried to pull her finger from his grip.

Akito gave her a pouty look, though it was obvious that he was still playing with her. "Natsumi," he said lowly, leaning closer to her. "Do I need to coax the real answer out of you?" he said.

She arched a delicate brow, giving him a curious look. "Isn't that what lawyers are supposed to do?" she asked smugly.

"Hmm." He said, pursing his lips as he gave her a contemplative look. "I might have to use unconventional methods." He warned, bringing up his free hand and placing it on the space where her jaw connected with her neck.

She tried to control her reaction, but her heart skipped a beat. "Like?" she asked nervously.

"Like," his thumb began to rub the smooth skin beneath it. "Physical torture." He leaned closer to her so that his lips were next to her ear. "Tell me, Natsumi, do you think you could handle it?" she shivered as his breath ghosted across her flesh.

"Of…of course I can," she breathed out, swallowing hard. "I sleep in a bed with you every night and do nothing don't I?"

He chuckled, brushing his nose against the side of her head. "That is because I do nothing to you, little flower." He said, nipping her earlobe lightly.

She closed her eyes, trying to remain calm and slow her heartbeat. It felt as if it might pound right out of her chest. "Dinner should be ready soon…" she said in attempts to make him stop his antics that were making her knees feel just like Jell-O.

"Henry will inform us when it is." He said, beginning to trail nips and licks down the column of her throat, enjoying the fact that she was allowing him to touch her so intimately. He could feel her heartbeat from her throat and she was desperately trying to grab something in her mind to make him stop. If he didn't, she didn't know what would happen.

"Th-those pictures…they're harassment aren't they?" she jumbled out before she could stop herself.

Akito froze in his ministrations, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh before opening them and pulling away from her, releasing her from his grasp. "And so the real answer reveals itself." He said, trying not to let his disappointment in the ruined mood show.

She looked up at him, almost looking ashamed that she had disappointed him. "I'm sorry…I didn't…they were just laying there, I didn't go in there to read them I promise."

"I am not upset with you Natsumi." He said. "But yes, they are."

"So you're doing a rape case?" she asked, shrinking down a bit for fear he would snap, since he seemed to be the passive aggressive type. "Why do you have those pictures? You know…if it's anything medical…I could always take a look at it."

He considered her words, also noting how she had shrunk away from him slightly, and that made him frown. "Would you?" he asked. "I am not entirely certain with what I was told about the pictures."

She nodded, watching him back away and then head into the study. She followed him closely and stood at the edge of the desk, waiting for him to unload all his work supplies. He opened up his briefcase and pulled out some more documents, handing them to her. "This is a short summary of the case so far." He said.

"Ok," she took it and read through it, the room oddly silent for a while. She picked up the pictures and examined them closely, her brow furrowing. "Was she raped?" Natsumi asked, glancing up at him.

"No, although I believe otherwise. She took these pictures, but refused to take any tests, afraid of the repercussions that her boss would give her." He said. "He's the one that I believe did it, and the whole reason for the case."

She nodded, picking up one of the pictures of the woman's neck. "See, look here at these bruises, although faded, are absolutely caused by a hand. The way they are positioned, here." She placed it down, picking up a pen. "Ok, see look at this." She reached up and placed her hand around his neck, holding it tightly. She circled the area her fingertips were on his neck and then grabbed the picture, pulling out her phone and taking a quick picture. She showed him both and how the spots matched up almost perfectly. "She was held around the neck and seeing how the thumb bruise is the darkest, he was holding her while most likely raping her. More than seventy percent of women never report rape, even when they press assault charges."

Akito nodded. "I figured something along those lines happened. The case was originally based on assault charges, and has progressively been getting worse as the days go by." He looked at her. "Do you think you would be able to convince her to be tested? It would probably help us win, and maybe if she talked to a woman about it she would feel more inclined."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. I mean, isn't it illegal for you to let me see all this, nonetheless talk to your client?" she asked, tapping her fingers together.

"Not illegal, per se, but not recommended. People would think that you were lying for me, because of our engagement." He frowned slightly. "So how can we get this accomplished and still win the case?"

She sighed, thinking on it a bit. "Just talk to her and tell her that you were getting a massage from me and simply talked about your trouble. Say I'm a doctor and I insisted to see them, and I recommend that she get some tests done. Tell her I'm your wife, so she is still trusting of you, and if you really want, we can have her over for dinner so she stays confident. Then go with her to the hospital and make sure they examine the vaginal walls." She explained, "No matter how long, if it was really rape, there is always tearing."

He took out a pad of paper and wrote all of this information down, nodding as he did so. "Okay, I will." Then he looked back up at her, just staring at her face. It was really nice to be able to share what had been burdening him so horribly these past few weeks with her. He felt…lighter, somehow. "We should go downstairs for dinner. Knowing Javier, it is ready, and knowing Henry, he saw that we were in here and decided not to bother us."

"Probably." She nodded. "I'm starving anyways." She said, placing her hand on her stomach and walking out of the room.

Akito began to put everything away, deciding that he wasn't going to work on the case tonight after dinner. As he cleared off his desk, he saw something from the corner of his eye that made him pause. It was a picture that hadn't been there before, set in a silver frame.

In the picture stood him and Natsumi as kids, outside in her parent's garden. He remembered that day clearly, as it was when he had first met his now best friend, Toshiro. In the picture Natsumi had her arms wrapped around his neck, and was kissing him on the cheek. He had an awful blush on his cheeks, as it had been his first kiss so to speak, and he hadn't yet learned how to control his facial expressions well enough not to blush. He smiled at the sight of the picture, and of how thoughtful she had been in placing it there, for him to see every day.

He put down the files in his hands and rushed down the stairs, catching Natsumi's hand in his as she was entering the dining room. He pulled her to him, causing her to let out a startled noise, and kissed her thankfully on the mouth before pulling back and smiling into her surprised face. "Thank you for the picture." Was all he said before walking into the dining room, his hand still connected with hers, making her trail behind him as if she were in a daze.

He sat her down and then took his own, as dinner was set in front of them. "Miss Natsumi, is everything alright? You looked flustered."

"Huh?" she blinked looking up at Javier. "Oh yes. I'm fine." She blushed, quickly beginning to eat so she didn't say anything else stupid.

"Are you sure dear?" Akito asked, eating a bite of salad. "You seem rather flushed." He smirked knowingly at her.

She rolled her eyes and got some spaghetti in her spoon, flinging it at him. "Butthead."

He snickered and picked the strings off his shirt, not caring that it might possibly stain. "I don't think I've been called that since I was seven. And it might have been you that said it too." He told her.

"Oh it was. It was when you called me a raccoon and asked if Toshiro ate cotton candy and threw up on my hair." She said distinctly, continuing to eat.

He shrugged. "I only said that because I liked you and didn't know how to properly express those feelings." He said, twirling some spaghetti on his fork and eating it.

"Well that worked _real_ well, didn't it?" she huffed, looking off.

"Why do you think I'm taking a different approach to it now?" he asked, sipping his water. Then he gave her a curious look and leaned towards her. "Is it working?"

She glanced back at him and sighed. "Is what working? Randomly kissing me all the time? Touching me at odd times? Holding me against you while we sleep? Bailing me out of jail? Making me dinner? Or doing yoga with me?" she arched a delicate brow and then smirked, taking a sip of wine. "Possibly."

He smiled, pleased with her answer. "Good." He nodded.

She smiled a bit and dinner continued as it usually did. After they finished, they decided to call it an early night and head to bed, since Akito would have a lot to do the next day.


	12. Celebration

**Contract**

_Chapter Twelve_

-Celebration-

Akito pulled up to his driveway, unable to wipe the ridiculous smile that was on his face as he let his valet take the car and went inside the house. He put down his things on one of the side tables next to the door and looked to his butler. "Henry, take off early. I will handle everything. And please tell Javier the same thing. I know he's probably almost done with dinner, but tell him we will be fine." He said.

The old man bowed. "Thank you sir, I will."

Akito looked into the living room, and when he didn't see Natsumi he frowned, wondering where she was. "Natsumi!" he called, walking through the rooms of the downstairs to find her. "Natsumi!" he shouted once more, walking into the front hall once more.

"What?" she glared down from the balcony railing. She was still dressed in her pajamas and had apparently just been awoken with his arrival.

Still smiling, he ran up the stairs until he was before her. Picking her up in a tight hug, he twirled her around in his arms and then kissed her passionately when he set her down. Pulling away, he smiled down at her. "I won the case."

She blinked, taking a while to absorb what had just happened. Finally, she went wide eyed and smiled jumping on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "You won? Congratulations! I'm so proud of you! I'm glad all your hard work paid off."

"I couldn't have done it without you." He said, his arms wrapping around her to hold her up. He kissed her forehead then. "Thank you."

"Sure you could've." She smiled. "You would have thought of it eventually."

He returned her smile in kind. "But it would have taken me longer. Just think of all the stress you saved me from." He said. "I want to celebrate."

"Ok," she blinked. "Do you want to go out to eat? I'll have to jump in the shower real quick."

"No." he shook his head. "I want to stay here, with you. I already sent everyone else home for the night, so we have the house to ourselves. Dinner is in the kitchen if you're hungry, and I was going to go into the cellar and grab some wine from my special stash." He wriggled his eyebrows at her. "You know, the good stuff."

"Mmm, I like the good stuff." She snickered, allowing him to put her down. "I've got an idea, you just go down and pick what wine you want and meet me in the living room. Alright?"

"Okay, do you want me to grab any of the dinner Javier prepared for us? I think tonight is salmon night." He asked.

She gave him a small shove. "I'll get dinner, just meet me in the living room." She smiled.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." He said, turning and going back down the stairs. He went into the wine cellar and grabbed two bottles of a wine that he'd been saving for years, and then went into the living room. Natsumi glanced up, she had pulled the coffee table closer to the couch with two plates made up for the both of them. The lights were dimmed and there was low music coming from the surround sound.

"Come on Akito," she smiled, walking towards him and taking his hand, sitting him down on the sofa. She took the bottles and set them net to the wine glasses she had pulled out. She sat beside him and pulled a blanket over their lower halves. "Now we can just relax and eat dinner." She said, reaching forward and beginning to unbutton his shirt as he usually did when he arrived home.

His breath hitched slightly at her actions, but he let her continue, even going so far as to un-tuck his shirt for him. "Thank you." He said when she was finished.

"Of course." She pat his leg and got up, uncorking one of the bottles and pouring them both a glass. She sat back beside him and offered him his glass before leaning back and getting comfortable. "So was it a long trial?"

He took a sip of the wine. "Yes. It started at nine this morning, and we took an hour break for lunch before resuming. The trial itself finished at five, but I got caught up by the press and had to answer a few questions." He leaned back and sighed, but this time in was in contentment. "I wish you could have seen me." He looked over at her. "I was amazing. My closing statement was especially impressive, if I do say so myself." He smiled slightly.

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yes well, pride goes before the fall, so you might want to watch it." She pointed out, grabbing his plate and handing it to him and she grabbed her own and curled up next to him. "I'm so glad it's over. Finally, you won't be stressed anymore."

He took a bite but frowned slightly. "Well, now that the case is over and done with I have to close out my office. And then take over the company from my father." He sighed, tired just thinking about it. "But, that can all wait until I go back to work the day after tomorrow." Sipping some more wine, he looked at her. "I usually take a day off work after I win a case so that I can settle back into my life." He explained.

"You had a life?" she snickered. "The impression I got was you just worked all the time."

He stuck his tongue out at her as if he were still a child. "Yes, I have a life. There are many things that I enjoy doing when I have free time that you are not privy to."

"Oh, like what? Having sex with women?" she asked, drinking the rest of her wine and quickly refilling it.

To that all Akito could do was snort. "Please. I meant more constructive things like playing video games with Toshiro, taking care of my cars, that I personally fix, I don't hire anyone," he said, finishing off his wine and holding his glass out to her so that she would refill it. "And fantasizing about what I'm going to do to you on our wedding night." He smirked, taking another drink as he looked at her over the brim of his glass.

She blinked and gave him an odd stare. "And you think you will be so lucky on our wedding night?" she arched her brow, finishing off another one of her glass. "Wow this good wine." She said, mostly to herself, filling it once more.

"Oh yeah." He nodded confidently, taking a gulp of his wine and ignoring his dinner. He wasn't all that hungry anyways. "I'm a lawyer, remember? And a businessman, meaning that I am twice as persuasive." He finished off his glass and leaned towards her slightly. "All I have to do is press you against a wall with my body, rub you in the right places, murmur sweet nothings in your ear, and I'll have you hooked." He said, somewhat huskily, feeling the effects of how much alcohol he was indulging in. That was the thing about older, stronger wine. It got you drunker faster.

She smiled, staring at him with her piercing but hazy jade gaze. She touched her hand to his face and pushed him away. "No," she said simply. "You'll have to do a lot better than that, besides you better mean it with all your soul when you steal away the only thing I have left." She said, downing another glass and trying to shake away the odd cloud that seemed to be hazing over her.

He refilled his glass and took another drink. "You mean, you've never slept with anyone before?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise. With everything she wore and some of the things she did and said, he had just assumed that she wasn't a virgin. Not a slut, but not a virgin either.

"Nope," she said simply, adding a sigh. "I was so consumed with making sure I had a career I didn't even take interest in boys. Plus the first one I liked made me cry and I hated him so…" she glanced up at him. "It didn't seem worth it." She placed her glass to her lips and took another large sip. "But I dunno…" she slurred a bit, leaning closer to him. "You might deserve a little more than just some good wine tonight." She smirked, trailing her hand down his chest before rubbing between his legs.

He jerked at her actions, and tried not to spill his wine. "Well now, I thought I was supposed to seduce you, not the other way around." He said, downing his glass in one gulp. Taking his reaction as a bad sign she pulled away and glared at him.

"See this is why I hate you so damn much, you're so misleading." She exasperated, grabbing the wine bottle by the neck and placing it to her lips. "Jus' like when we were kids." She rolled her eyes, setting the bottle back down before falling backwards, laying flat on the couch.

Akito set down his glass and was over her in an instant. "I'm sorry, you make me nervous." He swallowed as if trying to fight down a hiccup. "But I can be more direct, if that's what you want."

"You're like a woman on her cycle, you know that? Always up then down, up then down," she twirled her finger around in the air. "I don't care what you do." She sighed, closing her eyes.

He frowned at her, feeling like a child. He was so not a woman, and he would prove it to her, by whatever means necessary. He placed his knee between her legs so that he could better lean down closer to her. "If you do not care, then I will do what I wish." He said, placing the hand that was not supporting him on her stomach and slowly moving it upwards.

She started giggling, since the action tickled her stomach. "You wanna have sex with me _so_ bad!" she squealed, looking up at him. "Why? Because I'm so beautiful and you just can't stand the fact you can't let loose with your fiancé? You know…medically, sex is one of the best stress relievers." She giggled, pointing at him. "You can trust me, I'm a doctor." She started laughing then, obviously drunk.

He wasn't as drunk as she was, but he was pretty close. "I want to show you how much I care about you." He said, something he would never have told her had he not drank about four glasses of wine. "Since you don't ever seem to believe my words." His hand closed over her breast then, and he brushed his thumb across the hardening nipple he could feel beneath the fabric of her clothes.

She shivered, her laughter stopping as she looked down and back up at him. "Of course I don't believe you, you're a liar…remember?" she said softly, her breathing already becoming short. "Now stop…I told you'd have to try harder than that to get me." She mumbled, arching into his tightening grip.

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, licking and nipping beneath her ear as he continued to torture the soft mound in his hand. "I have never lied to you, Natsumi. Never." He said in her ear, pinching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling the erect bud around a bit.

She gasped, biting down on her lip. "Yes you have…" she barely got out, squirming beneath him and his hold. "When you called me ugly at my seventh birthday."

"Well," he said, growing fascinated with her facial expressions. "Let's wipe the slate clean from the last time I saw you until the day before you moved in, how's that? Because since then, I haven't lied to you." He said, dipping his head and lightly biting the little bud through the fabric of her tank top. She cried out, gripping onto him tightly.

"F-Fine…clean slate." She breathed out, "Please stop teasing me." She whimpered. "I want more. P-Please."

He pulled away and looked down at her. "Are you sure?" he asked, feeling himself grow even more excited, if that was even possible.

"Of course I'm sure." She glared up at him. "I wouldn't have said so if I wasn't…dumbass." She mumbled, after all she wasn't a nice drunk. "Now are you going to keep me waiting or should I start mounting you?"

He grinned and got off of her, picking her up in his arms before she could protest at his lost warmth. Luckily, he was still sober enough to make it upstairs and to their room without tripping, falling, dropping her, or all of the above. Once they were in the bedroom he dropped her on the bed and immediately went to removing all of his clothes, save his boxers. He crawled over to her then, and grasped the hem of her tank top, slowly lifting it off of her, savoring every new inch of skin he saw.

When it was fully removed from her, he couldn't help but stare at her flawlessness. No matter how many women he had taken, she would be the first and only he'd take in his bed, their bed. She was in fact the only one he'd met who didn't cover herself in makeup or perfume, something she didn't need, and something he was grateful for.

Not wanting her to get impatient, he dipped his head, taking her bare nipple into his mouth and suckling it like a newborn babe while his other hand came up to massage her other breast. Natsumi took in a sharp breath and gripped his hair tightly. "I thought I told you to stop playing with me." She seethed, tugging weakly at his hair as she wiggled beneath him.

"My apologies." He said, pulling away before divesting her of her undergarments. He stroked her wet folds with his finger before entering two of them inside her and rubbing her walls. "But I wanted to be sure you are ready for me. It will lessen the pain, I promise." He said, curling his fingers a bit and increasing his pace. Her toes curled as she arched her back and gripped the white sheets tightly.

"Oh god! Akito!" she moaned out, moving against his fingers.

He smirked, inserting a third digit. "Finally, you say it in the right situation." He whispered, mostly to himself. As he felt her walls begin to tighten around his hand, signaling her release, he stopped, withdrawing from her completely and sitting back. He knew it was cruel to take away what her body so desperately craved, so desperately needed, but in that moment he felt like playing with her a little.

She sat up quickly, a dark blush on her face. "What the hell do you think you're doing." She glared, hitting him as hard as she could, only making him laugh. "You've got about two minutes to have sex with me or I'm just going to please myself and you won't get _any_ of it." She warned, taking hold of his wrists and pulling him forward.

He kissed her passionately, engaging her tongue in a battle of wills as he slipped off his boxers. "So demanding." He said against her lips as he pulled away and pushed her down onto the sheets. "I like it." He murmured, rubbing his length against her wet center. "How bad do you want it Natsumi? Bad enough to scream my name in ecstasy when you come?" he asked, grinding his pelvis into hers.

Her eyes rolled back as she wrapped her arms around him tightly, wanting nothing more than to feel him inside her. If she had any of her common sense left, she would have stopped him, but it was long gone and she was ready to become his. "Yes," she whispered into his ear. "Make me scream."

Not wanting to prolong her torture any longer, he positioned himself at her entrance and slowly entered her, wanting her to get used to his size. He let out a low groan at the tightness he felt, loving the feeling of her walls constricting him. Once he was fully sheathed into her inviting warmth, he began to move in slow, shallow thrusts in order to ease her pain at his intrusion. "Let me know when it no longer hurts." He said, barely holding onto his self-control.

"Ok…" she nodded, biting down on her lower lip as she curled against him, her nails digging into the skin of his arms. It seemed to take forever, the slight burn that she was feeling just didn't seem to want to go away. Until suddenly it was gone and his next thrust felt like it was igniting a fire between them. "I-It doesn't hurt anymore," she barely managed out from her shortness of breath.

Nodding, he pulled out until just his tip was still inside her and then thrust back in harshly, making her gasp. Deciding he liked this pace, he continued his actions, speeding up ever so slightly. "You have no idea how long I've dreamt of this." He said softly, resting his forehead against hers.

"I think I can guess pretty close…" she panted, a small moan escaping her throat. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, needing some kind of anchor. Akito kissed her then, increasing his pace. Wanting to increase her pleasure and his, he looped an arm underneath her waist and lifted it, changing the angle of his thrusts and going even faster.

Natsumi kissed along his shoulder, ravishing his skin and leaving a few hickeys on his neck. "Oh Akito…" she moaned, arching into him, allowing him easier access to her inner most regions. "It feels so good, I feel like…" she gasped, biting down on him as she felt her heat building once more. She hoped this time he would allow her to release and not further her torture.

"Like what?" he panted, going even faster. He wouldn't be able to last much longer. With her virgin walls constricting around him, the allure of her body, and that fact that he was drunk just did not stack up in his favor. But it was okay, because he could always make it up to her later. Because after this, she'd let him touch her more, right?

She raked her nails down his back, moaning into his ear. "Like I'm melting." She whispered.

He moaned at the feel of her nails scratching his skin. He dropped her waist back down onto the mattress so that he could use both arms to stable himself as he went as fast as he could. His eyes shut at the familiar feeling of the tightening in his abdomen, and he knew his end was going to come soon. There was just no way he could last against her alluring body. "Natsumi, I'm…going to come soon." He said in her ear, pressing his body further into hers.

She nodded, moving her arms around his waist and trying to hold onto him as he pounded into her. She felt like she was breaking apart, but it was so amazing. Better than anything else she had ever experienced. "I am too." She told him, the words unleashing something inside her that she was trying to hold onto. It was pure bliss, feeling her heat fill her entire body.

With a groan Akito thrust into her one last time, releasing his seed into her. She felt so amazing. After tonight, he would never even consider being with another woman, not after experiencing her. He was addicted to her body, to everything about her, and it was then he knew that he had made a good decision in agreeing to marry her.

Still panting slightly, he kissed the corner of her mouth, making a trail down her jaw, and then kissing her neck. "That was amazing." He said, nuzzling her neck.

"Mhmm," she nodded, looking utterly exhausted, sweat beading on her forehead. She felt complete and full, as if nothing could possibly ever be wrong with the world. But she was so tired, which was to be expected from her first time.

He slid out of her slowly and pulled up the sheets in order to cover them both before drawing her against him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and rubbed her lower stomach a bit as he began to drift off, completely sated and happy. "Goodnight Natsumi." He murmured, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her sweet scent.

"Goodnight Akito." She mumbled, snuggling into his warmth and enjoying the protective hold that was enveloping her. They fell asleep quickly, tired from their night activities.


	13. Morning After

**Contract**

_Chapter Thirteen_

-Morning After-

Natsumi stretched languidly, wincing slightly when a sharp pain shot through her head. She groaned, gripping her hair and then tried to rub her temples in a soothing manner. What was going on? Suddenly, she couldn't remember how she had gotten to bed. She tried to think back on the night before but everything was just a big blur. She could vaguely recall Akito coming home and telling her something.

She rubbed her head and sat up, looking down and going wide eyed. Luckily, she was able to stop the scream that almost escaped. She covered her mouth and grabbed the white sheets, pulling them up to cover her bare chest. She looked around, seeing she was in fact in hers and Akito's bedroom. Her jade gaze lowered and she jerked away, falling out of the bed with shock. Shaking, she peeked over the edge staring at Akito's naked form. He was still asleep, somehow, but he was most certainly nude. "Oh my god." She breathed out, running her hair through her soft, pink locks and then pulling harshly on them. OH MY GOD! She screamed in her head.

She stood quickly and wobbled slightly, her hangover making her a bit dizzy. "Ow." She winced, pressing her hand to her pelvis. She paled, the soreness only confirmed her suspicious about what had transpired the night before. She hurried from the room and into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind her.

She pressed her back against the cool door and slid to the ground. As much as she tried, she couldn't remember anything from the night before. "This is horrible." She said softly, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes. "I had sex with Akito last night." She said aloud, choking out a sob.

It wasn't that she was mad at him, after all he would be her husband and she didn't really think he forced her. But she just couldn't remember it. Her first time and it was nothing but a haze. She forced herself up, not wanting to wake Akito with her sobs and stepped down into the shower. It was cut into the floor making it a tub and a shower, surrounded by glass to keep the water in. She turned it on, letting the hot water wash away the scents of their deed.

But how could he? Had she not been clear with the fact she didn't want to sleep with him. Well that was a lie, she did feel herself craving his body every now and then, but not enough to let him have hers. She hated how good she felt though. It wasn't fair. He shouldn't have taken her first time in a drunken state. She could not truly comply with all the alcohol in her system.

Her tears mixing with the hot water, she continued to wash herself, not knowing what to do. Should she talk to him? Be angry with him? Did he even remember the event? She sighed, feeling another headache forming from the alcohol and her scrambled thoughts. This was just all too much to deal with at one time. She finished quickly and stepped out, grabbing one of the towels and drying her body. At least the shower had made her feel slightly better, aside from her sore pelvis and insides. It seemed he had really done his best last night. When she finished drying she went into her closet and pulled on some undergarments and some shorts, along with a tight, long sleeved black shirt. The sleeves ended at her finger tips and she walked out, seeing Akito was still asleep.

She glanced at the time and sighed, Javier wouldn't be here for another hour or so. She made her way around their bed and got back on her side, sitting Indian style and watching him. He would wake up soon, right?

A few minutes later Akito let out a small groan, wincing at the pang he felt shoot through his brain. He'd had way too much to drink last night, he thought rubbing a hand down his face as he sat up. A languid smile came to his face as he remembered bits and pieces of what had happened the night before, and he turned to look down at where he thought Natsumi was still sleeping, only to be met with her sitting and staring at him. He jumped slightly, giving her a startled look. "Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, rubbing his aching forehead.

"Just trying to figure a few things out." She said, sounding strained. She had a killer headache and her anger wasn't making it any more bearable.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked, lowering his hand.

"I suppose." She frowned, resting her hands in her lap. "I can't remember anything from when we were in the living room up until I woke up this morning. So can you enlighten me?" she asked, arching a delicate brow.

He frowned, thinking really hard in order to put everything together. "Let's see…" he began, squinting a bit as if the answer would appear in front of him. "We got really drunk. Then you came on to me, pretty forcefully I might add, as you grabbed my…you know." He said, looking at her, trying to see if his words were ringing any bells in her head.

Natsumi just grimaced. Nothing he said was making her recall anything. She couldn't even believe she had done what he had said, but then again she couldn't remember anything. "Ok…" she forced out. "Then what?"

"Then we started making out, and I began to fondle your chest I think. And we decided to start with a clean slate." He rubbed his head, trying to remember. "Oh, and then you begged me to take you." He blushed slightly as he recalled what she had said. "When I hesitated…I believe you threatened to mount me." His brow furrowed.

She stared at him, wide eyed, had she really been the one to instigate it? She groaned and ran her hand down her face. "Freaking fantastic."

He sighed. "I think I carried you upstairs then," he chuckled. "I'm surprised I was still sober enough to do so." He said. "And then we got naked, and I was touching you and teasing you. And then, then you threatened to just pleasure yourself right in front of me if I didn't finish the job." He looked over at her. "So I did."

She fell back then yelling into her hands. "AH! God why! Why do you hate me?" she whined, practically throwing a fit. This was _so_ unfair! Why couldn't she remember _any _of it? Suddenly, she was angry with Akito. She was obviously drunk and he just took her, without her consent! Well, without her conscious consent.

"Natsumi, are you okay?" he asked in genuine concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"No…" she sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I just…I can't remember…and that was my first time." She said softly, feeling her tears returning.

"Yeah." He sighed, thinking about it. "You were great though, from what I remember." He said, trying to cheer her up a bit.

She let out a deep breath and sat up. "Why don't you go ahead and jump in the shower and I'll make us some breakfast, since Javier won't be here for a while." She sighed, got out of bed then and walked out the door.

He frowned at the empty doorway. Something was wrong with her, but his head hurt too much to figure out why. If it was because she couldn't remember the sex they'd had last night, he would be more than happy to give her a new memory in order to fill the hole that she had. Rising from the bed, he stretched and went to take a shower, picking up all of the discarded clothes and putting them in the hamper on his way.

Once he was done, he dressed in a black t-shirt that had the Uchiha symbol on the front and a pair of black sweat pants, wanting to stay comfortable, since he didn't plan on leaving the house today. He went downstairs and into the kitchen, where Natsumi was making their breakfast. "It smells good." He said, walking over to the fridge and taking out a container of orange juice.

"I'm just making some omelets, I hope that's ok." She said, staring down at the eggs in the frying pan. When she was finished she made up their plates, placing some bacon on the side of each omelet. She picked up both their plates and turned around, almost running into him. She held in a gasp and looked up at him. Was he thinking because they had had sex, that things were different? Sure her body felt different, but she just wasn't ready for this kind of intimacy yet.

"Sorry." He said with an apologetic smile. "I was going to grab some glasses." He nodded to the cabinet that was just behind her. She moved out of the way and went into the dining room, placing both their plates down. She let out a deep breath and sighed, sitting down, trying to focus on one thing at a time.

Akito came in with two glasses of juice and sat one in front of her, taking his seat. They began to eat then, in an uncomfortable silence. Willing his mind to work, Akito grasped the first topic of conversation that entered his head and went for it. "We're not going to have sex for a long time, are we?" he asked, and then mentally slapped himself at how blunt he had been. Damned hangovers. She looked over at him before rolling her eyes. Of course that would be the first thing on his mind.

"No." she replied, cutting into her omelet and then taking a bite.

"Didn't think so." He took a sip of his juice before beginning to eat his breakfast. After a few more seconds he looked back over at her. "You are upset." He stated, though she could detect the underlying question as to why in his words.

She set her fork down and glared at him. "Of course I'm upset." She said sharply. "I'm no longer a virgin, I can't even remember it, and you took advantage of my loose drunken mindset."

He set down his own fork and actually looked offended. "_I_ took advantage of _your_ drunkenness?" he said in slight disbelief.

"Yeah." She said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't see how I could take advantage of you. You're a man, it's not like I'd have to get you drunk to get you to have sex with me." She pointed out.

"Well, if I had been sober, I wouldn't have had sex with you last night. So that disproves what you just said." He took a bite of his omelet then.

"Oh really?" she snapped, now a bit appalled. "So if I had come onto you, you would have rejected me then? If we were sober?" she laughed and stuck another forkful of egg in her mouth. "Please," she rolled her eyes. "Even if you were gay you wouldn't be able to turn this down." She said simply, gesturing to her body.

He glared at her. "No, if I was sober and you were drunk, I wouldn't have slept with you." He pointed his fork at her. "This is your problem Natsumi, you never listen to a word I say. Because if you had been listening, you would have heard me. Now, had we both been sober and you'd come on to me, of course I would have made love to you. I will admit that I'm a weak man where you are concerned, and I'm not ashamed of that fact." He told her, picking up a piece of bacon and biting into it.

She rolled her eyes, and glared off, not wanting to talk to him anymore. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and stole a glance at him. "Did you even tell me you loved me?" she asked, desperately needing to know.

"No." he said, looking up at her. "I told you I cared about you a lot, but you didn't believe me, saying that I was a liar. It was before the whole clean slate thing."

"Well do you?" she demanded, gripping her knees tightly. "You said make love instead of sex. But do you?"

He froze and his eyes went slightly wide at his unconscious admission. Did he love her? He knew he cared about her a lot, more than he'd ever cared about another person. But did he love her? She had never really indicated that she liked him, on any level other than a physical one, and so he didn't really know how she felt. So he decided to go with an answer that felt safe to him. "I…don't know." He admitted softly.

"Oh my god." She looked absolutely stricken and stood quickly, wiping away the tears that were now streaming down her face. "I gotta get out of here." she said mostly to herself, stopping in the foyer and digging through the pile of keys.

Akito followed her, not understanding the reason for her tears. "Don't tell me you're upset because I don't know if I love you or not." He said, stopping beside her. "I've told you countless times that I like you, and that I care about you, but you've not once said anything like that to me." He pointed at his chest. "All you ever say to me is that we're not supposed to like each other, and that just because we're engaged doesn't mean you have to behave or like me. At least I'm being honest."

"I can't be around you right now." She said, not able to even think straight. It didn't matter if she tried to stop herself from liking him. It's not like she had stolen anything from him, she grabbed the keys to her bike finally and hurried to the door. When he followed her she turned around, shaking her head. "Please just leave me alone. I promise I won't go do anything stupid or drink. But I'm going to stay with my parents for a bit." She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

He heard her bike start and then the fading of the engine as she drove off. Sighing, he wiped his hand down his face, already feeling the loneliness her absence caused. It was odd, he didn't remember when it was he become so attached to her. He had been a perfectly independent man until she came along and unknowingly wormed her way under his skin, and possibly, into his heart.

But he didn't want to think about it right now. Too many things had happened to him in such a short span of time, and so he turned and went into the kitchen to grab some headache medicine. Perhaps he would just get dressed and pack up his office today instead of tomorrow. At least that way he would have something to occupy his mind instead of Natsumi's abrupt departure.


	14. Word Travels Fast

**Contract**

_Chapter Fourteen_

-Word Travels Fast-

Natsumi sat, motionless, in the driver's seat of her Audi, staring at the building. Never in her entire life had she ever thought she would be at one of these horrible places. As a doctor, it was almost sickening what she was planning to do. It had been a little under a month since she'd seen Akito. She was actually somewhat surprised he wasn't bothering to contact her. Though, the press was having a field day with this separation of the couple.

She sighed and pulled the keys from the ignition. She hadn't done anything crazy lately though, which was apparently disappointing to them. Subconsciously, her hand went to her pelvis. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and steel her nerves. She grabbed her purse and finally got out of the car. When she locked it, she headed across the street and stopped when she grabbed the handle.

"It's for the best." She told herself, nodding and then going in.

Unfortunately, a pampered blonde was standing on the side of the street, a few shopping bags in her hands. She looked down at her phone, seeing the picture she had taken of the young pink haired woman walking into the Abortion Clinic. Ino pushed her large sunglasses up and flipped her phone into text mode as she attached a message to the picture. '_Sakura, you'll never guess where I just saw Natsumi walk into. I think she's pregnant and she's trying to get it aborted. Might not be Akito's. Text me back later with an update._' She hit send and when she saw the confirmation she closed her phone and looked back up at the clinic.

"Looks like someone's been naughty." She whistled and continued down the street to her silver Mercedes.

* * *

><p>Hearing her phone beep, Sakura stood and excused herself quietly from the room where the doctors had gathered to be informed about the new group of interns coming in. She didn't really care, nor did she need to hear the information anyways, since any interns she received she made Toshiro deal with.<p>

Sliding her finger across the screen so that she could see the text that Ino had sent her, her eyes widened in shock, and she let out an audible gasp. She couldn't believe it, this just couldn't be true.

Natsumi had been staying with her and Gaara for a few weeks now, and hadn't once told them what had happened between her and Akito to cause her to want to be away from him. Perhaps this was it. They hadn't bothered to ask her anyways, not wanting to crowd her.

She decided to forward the picture to Hinata and ask her opinion, since she was a psychologist, and had at one point given Natsumi private sessions. Once she was confirmed that the picture had been sent, she hit her speed dial button and brought the phone to her ear. Hearing her husband's deep voice on the other line, she took a deep breath, and began to tell him what she had heard.

* * *

><p>Hinata felt the vibrations of her blackberry in her pocket and tried not to fidget in her seat. She was currently with a client, a very boring one at that, and was desperately trying to pay attention to what they were saying to her, instead of giving into the urge to check her phone.<p>

It wasn't that she didn't care about the woman's problems, but they were the same thing every single time. And people who refused to see the error of their ways and continued to make the same mistakes just irked her to no end. Discreetly checking her watch, she mentally sighed in relief when she saw the time.

"I'm sorry Miss Higurashi, but our time today is up." She interrupted, standing from her chair. The other woman stood as well, looking disheartened.

"But I didn't get to finish telling you about why the color yellow makes me sad." She said.

Hinata gave her a kind smile. "Well, we always have our session next week. But I have another client waiting for me, and I'm sure you have things to do." She said, leading the other woman to the door. "Thank you for coming, and have a nice day." She shut the door quickly before any more time could be delayed and immediately pulled out her phone.

Naruto had insisted on buying her a new one, and she had finally learned how to use the contraption. Since then, she had practically become addicted to it, since she could do practically whatever she wanted from her phone, without the use of a computer.

Her eyes widened as she saw the picture and read the text she had received from Sakura. Wanting to double check the information before responding, she went through her contacts until she found her daughter's number. If anyone would know, it would be Minako.

* * *

><p>When her phone began to ring from its spot in her purse, Toshiro let out an annoyed sound. "I'm sorry dear, I forgot to turn off the ringer before lunch." Minako said, taking out her phone and looking at the screen to see who was calling her. "It's my mother, do you mind if I take it real quickly? I'll tell her I'll call her back."<p>

"Nah, just take it. It's usually important." He nodded, giving his wife a loving smile. "I don't mind, as long as I can hear you talk." He snickered, taking another bit of his salad, since the two were out enjoying lunch together.

She smiled at him as she flipped it open. "Hey Mama." She greeted. Her brow furrowed slightly after a few seconds.

"Well yes, she has been kind of depressed lately." She commented, making Toshiro give her a curious look. "No, I haven't talked to her recently. The last time I saw her was last week." This next comment made the redhead pause in his eating, and slowly lower his fork.

Minako now looked slightly worried. "Mama, what's going on?" she asked, and after a few moments, she gasped. "No! Are you sure?" more talking could be heard from the other line.

"What's she saying?" Toshiro asked, already suspecting that this had to do with his sister. Minako just held up her hand to silence him as she listened to her mother speak.

"Okay, I will ask him if he knows anything. Tell Sakura we will probably swing by either later today or tomorrow to see how everything thing going. Yes, I know, I love you too. Okay, bye." She said, shutting her phone. She leaned back in her seat, a somewhat dazed look coming to her face. "Wow."

"What?" Toshiro demanded once more, his alarm rising. "Did something bad happen to Natsumi?"

She looked over at him, frowning slightly. "Sort of." She sighed, already fearing his oncoming reaction. "My mother said that you mom texted her, saying that she got a text from Ino, with a picture of Natsumi." She looked at him. "She was going into an abortion clinic." She told him.

He went wide eyed and stood, "Are you serious?" he almost yelled, drawing every eye towards them. When she nodded he grimaced. He knew Natsumi was staying with his parents recently, but no one knew why she had. Akito hadn't even told him, but he figured he was just busy with the company and his father. "I gotta talk to Akito." He said, grabbing his keys and pulling out his wallet, tossing more than enough money on the table. "I'm sorry baby, but I have to go." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you at home." He waved over his shoulder, leaving her.

Minako sighed and grabbed her purse, slinging it over her shoulder. So much for a nice little lunch with her husband. She pulled out her car keys, deciding to see if she could get a hold of Natsumi, because in times like this, you needed a friend.

* * *

><p>Toshiro pulled up to his friend's house, slamming on the breaks and practically jumping out of the car. He ignored the valet and walked into the house, looking around for his friend. "Akito!" he called loudly. Henry walked up and cleared his throat.<p>

"Mr. Sabaku, what are you doing?"

"Not now Henry, where's Akito?" he demanded calling aloud for his friend once more. "Akito!"

"What?" Akito yelled, poking his head out from his study. From where he was standing, Toshiro could clearly see the beginning signs that Akito was developing a sleeping disorder, as he had dark circles under his eyes. Everything else about him appeared to be in place and nicely kept up, as it always was, but his eyes gave off the impression that he hadn't slept in days. Weeks, even.

The redhead frowned and headed up the steps, meeting Akito at the top. "There is something very serious you need to know about." He paused.

"Ok…what is it?" the tired Uchiha asked, looking slightly irritated.

"Today…Ino, you know my mom's bitchy friend, saw Natsumi…going into an abortion clinic. She sent the picture to my mom, who told Minako's mom, probably because she's Natsumi's therapist, who called Minako and told her. Did you know Natsumi was pregnant?" he wondered, the pit in his stomach growing as he watched his friend reaction. It was pretty clear he did _not_ know.

"P-pregnant?" he asked, sounding as if the wind had been knocked out of him. "Natsumi's pregnant?"

Toshiro grimaced, seeing the information didn't quite sink in. "Well…she was."

"Was." Akito repeated, processing everything. When it hit him, his hand automatically reached up and clutched the area over his heart. "Oh God." He almost gasped, his other hand grasping the railing in order to steady him. Toshiro was beside him in an instant, steadying him.

"Henry! Please get some herbal tea! Green leaf preferably and some honey." He ordered, helping Akito into his bedroom, since it was the closest thing. He sat him down on the edge of the bed and stood in front of him, the doctor in him taking over. "Akito…why did Natsumi leave?"

"She didn't want to see me anymore." He said, his gaze transfixed on some unknown object across from him. "I had won my case, as you know, and we decided to celebrate. We got drunk, and we slept with each other. She didn't remember anything, but I did. And she was upset and blamed me for everything. Then she left." He recited, his eyes becoming slightly unfocused. How could she do this to him? He would be the first to admit that he had made some mistakes where she was concerned, but how could she punish him this way? He would never have pegged her as someone who would do something so cruel.

Toshiro ran his hand down his face and sighed. "So it was your baby…"

He glared at his friend, letting some of his anger out on him. "Why the hell wouldn't it be mine? She was a virgin when I took her, and even then, I doubt she would have just gone off and slept with some other man just to spite me." He said.

Henry came into the room then, holding a tray with a teapot and a glass. "The tea you requested, Mr. Sabaku." He said. Toshiro walked over to him and took the trey.

"Thank you can leave." He nodded to him and poured Akito a cup of the steaming liquid. He offered it down to him. "You're right. I know. I'm sorry. So…what are you going to do about this?"

Akito took the cup and began to drink it, knowing that it would help him. Somewhat. "What can I do? Clearly she doesn't care about me or my feelings, and it's too late to change her mind." He sighed, wiping his hand down his tired face. "I guess this means the wedding's off." He said sadly. Toshiro sighed and sat next to his friend.

"Maybe not. Maybe she's just not ready to have a baby?" he shrugged, glancing at his friend.

Akito frowned into his cup. He stood suddenly, glaring down at the redhead. "And you think I was?" he asked, pointing at himself. "I wasn't expecting this to happen, but that baby was mine, it was part of _me_." He said. "And she took it away from me before I even got the chance to consider it. How would you feel if Minako did that to you Toshiro? Huh?" he raised his voice, his anger finally making itself known.

The red head gave his friend a sympathetic look, staring up at him. "Akito, I can't even imagine what this must feel like. But you need to keep a level head. I know this looks bad, but you should talk to her first before you go off and do something you might regret." He stood as well, trying to calm his friend down.

"Talk to her, right." He said, nodding as he thought about it. "Oh, I'll talk to her alright." He set down his cup and grabbed his keys and sunglasses. "I'm going to give that woman a piece of my mind." He announced, turning and heading from his room.

"Akito…!" Toshiro warned, getting up and following him out as the dark haired friend hurried down the steps. "Don't do anything-" The front door slammed hen. "Stupid." He sighed.

* * *

><p>Akito pulled into the driveway of Gaara and Sakura's house and smirked darkly when he saw Natsumi walking towards the front door. Perfect. He sped up at bit and slammed on his brakes, quickly cutting off the engine before getting out. "You." He said harshly, making the pink haired woman stop. "How could you do this to me?" He stopped when he was just before her.<p>

"Akito?" she blinked, looking a little more than shocked. "What are you doing here?"

He glared down at her. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? After what you did, I think I have every right to come find you." He said.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, she was seriously confused. Was he _still_ mad about her leaving and just _now_ coming to tell her? Talk about passive aggressive. And she really didn't want to deal with him after the morning she had just had.

"I did everything I could to make you happy. I tried to make your move comfortable for you, tried to let you get to know me, I even came and picked you up from _jail_." He said. "I listened patiently when you told me the real reason you don't work anymore, never said a word about it to you or anyone else, and I let you into my life. Don't think that this whole arranged marriage wasn't hard for me that entire time either." He pointed to himself. "And then when I make one mistake, one, in which I gave in to my desires, you just up and leave."

He smirked humorlessly, his tired eyes remaining cold. "And so, I decided to give you your space, give you time to sort things out, because I knew if I hovered you would get scared and break off the wedding, something I surprisingly still wanted to happen. But no, you just continue to surprise me." Then he pointed at her. "When does your selfishness stop Natsumi, huh? Were you hoping to utterly destroy me? Because congratulations, I think I have now passed the point of destruction." He threw his arms up in the air.

Natsumi just stared wide eyed at him. She'd told him about why she stopped working? She felt her stomach drop and subconsciously pressed her hand against her pelvis, something she'd been doing for the past couple of days. "Akito…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset, but I really have no idea what you're talking about. What did I do to destroy you? I don't understand." She frowned, feeling herself tear up.

"You killed my child!" he actually yelled, all of his anger coming forth. "How could you? Do you have any idea what it felt like, finding out from Toshiro first that you were pregnant, and then in the same sentence that you had killed the baby?" he took a few deep breaths, trying to control his emotions somewhat. "And worse, you didn't even tell me, didn't ask me if I wanted it. You just decided to go and play God all by yourself."

"Whoa!" she yelled back, feeling her own anger wash away the shear shock that had shot through her body with his words. "First of all, how do you even _know_ about that? I didn't tell _anyone_ I was pregnant!"

"Well you should have told me." He said, pointing to himself. "All I know is that Toshiro heard from Minako, who was called by Hinata, who got a text from your mom, who was sent a picture of you by Ino, who saw you enter the abortion clinic." He explained. "And let me tell you, I don't think I could have found out in a worse way that my child was taken away from me before I even got to know it existed." He said accusingly.

"Oh my god," she cried, burying her face in her hands. "This is terrible!" she sobbed, it was only a matter of time now before it got out everywhere. Since her mother's stupid friend just didn't know how to keep her fat mouth shut.

Akito blinked, the red haze of his anger diminishing somewhat to be replaced with confusion at her words. "What do you mean, terrible? What else did you think would happen when I found out? Or were you not even planning on telling me?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"No!" she glared at him through tear filled eyes, pointing at him accusingly. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. I _was _going to call you tomorrow and tell you because I'm still pregnant!" she screamed, walking around him and grabbing the handle of the door. "I got scared and I went there today but I couldn't do it! _Especially_ because I hadn't told you yet! So congratulations Akito," she seethed. "You're going to be a daddy." She opened the door and stopped, glancing back at him. "Thanks a lot for talking to me about it before going on your tirade. Now go away." She frowned, slamming the door behind her.

"What?" he asked breathlessly, though there was nobody around to answer his question. He was still going to be a father? She hadn't gone through with the abortion? Shaking his head as everything caught up to him he yelled. "Damnit!" then he went up to the front door and knocked. "Natsumi, open up. Can we please talk about this?" he shouted through the door. Now that he knew, he wasn't going to make the same mistake he had before and just leave her alone. That had already proved to only lead to problems.

It was another minute or so before the door opened once more and the butler stuck his head out the door. "Mr. Uchiha. Miss Natsumi does not wish to see you right now. May I suggest you coming back tomorrow?"

"May I suggest you go and tell her that I'm not leaving until she comes back out here and talks to me?" he asked, crossing his arms. He nodded and opened the door, allowing him in.

"You may wait in the living room while I go inform her." He said, heading up one of the double stair cases.

He just rolled his eyes and walked into the house, shutting the door behind him and going into the living room. He didn't even bother to sit down, his muscles were too wound up in order to give him any sense of relaxation. How was it he always managed to screw things up without trying? It wasn't too long later until he heard the alluring shout from his fiancé. "Get the _hell_ out of my house Akito! I _will _call the police!" she yelled from the banister, knowing he was in the living room.

"I am not leaving until you talk to me! I'm sorry about what I said, but you can see where I was misled!" he shouted back, praying that she would come down and give him another chance.

"Oh ho ho no. You don't preach to me that you try so hard and then jump to conclusions like this. It's _Ino_ she's a gossip queen half that crap out of her mouth is false or exaggerated!" she rolled her eyes, gripping the railing tightly. "Now leave!"

"Natsumi, please just give me another chance." He begged, shoving his pride out the window. "I miss you." He said a bit softer, the revelation startling him. But it was true, he had missed her greatly while she had been gone. He found that he couldn't sleep oftentimes, wondering where she was or how she was doing. If she was ever going to come back to him. And so he had thrown himself into the task of slowly taking over Uchiha Corp. from his father, hoping that that would fill the void her absence left in his life.

There was a long silence then, Natsumi stared down into the foyer, pursing her lips together. He missed her? She had missed him too, oddly enough. She let out an aggravated breath. "I want you to leave. All you're doing is stressing out me and my baby." She snapped, walking off and back into the hallway to return to her room.

He sighed and walked to the front door. Then he turned towards the stairs and decided to try one last time. "I still want to marry you. And, regardless of what you decide in where our relationship goes, I want to be a part of our child's life." He said loud enough for her to hear. "And I want to be there for you during the pregnancy."

"Yes well I think I'll be the one to decide that." She replied sticking her head back out and looking down at him, which was a terrible mistake. Seeing him looking actually broken almost made her go down to him. Almost. "Why are you still here anyways? How many times do I have to tell you to leave before you will?" she arched a brow, hurrying down the hall before her feet could take her down the steps.

Tired of talking to an empty space, Akito marched up the stairs, catching her at the end of the hall. "Why can't you just accept my apology?" he asked, stopping before her. "I know I said some horrible things, and I know I messed up really badly, but this whole caring thing is new to me, okay? I'm trying to make this work, and maybe I need to try harder. But please believe me when I tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that I am truly and deeply sorry for everything I have either done or said that has upset you in any way. I didn't mean to, I was just angry." He gave her a sad look. "If my absence will make you happy then I will go. But, should you make any decisions regarding the baby, please call me and let me know." He said, sounding absolutely pitiful, even to himself. But he didn't care.

She stared up at him, searching his face for a bit, before looking off. "Akito…I just…I don't know. You always seem to think the worst of everything I do. I mean…how could you really think I'd kill our baby?" she asked, placing both her hands over her stomach.

"I couldn't believe it, and that was why I was so upset." He admitted, looking at her. "But Toshiro was the one to tell me, and there was a picture, and I know I should have asked you first before jumping to conclusions." He said. "But I hadn't seen nor heard from you in almost a month…so I thought…I don't even know what I thought, it's all kind of fuzzy." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I promise that from now on I will come to you first. And I promise it will be in a calm, rational way."

"Well it's not like you came after me or anything." She sighed, leaning back against the wall, since he had trapped her between it and himself.

The corner of his mouth tilted slightly. "Well, I'm coming after you now."

"I was really going to tell you…" She said softly, looking down.

He gently grasped her chin and lifted it upwards so that she was looking at him. "I believe you." He said, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Will you forgive me for being so stupid?"

"Well…" she smirked. "I guess I could always come back home so you could start making it up to me."

He raised a brow at her. "Can we be sober for this making up process? I want you to remember it all, even if it doesn't include…you know." He asked, wanting to clarify. It wouldn't do to get his hopes up and misinterpret her words after all.

She rolled her eyes, resting her hand on his chest. "Yes well. I wouldn't be looking forward to that, since now we won't even be having sex on our honeymoon." She sighed.

"It's okay, no part of our relationship is normal anyways." He tilted his head slightly. "Do you want to move the date of the wedding up? I know some people are weird about not looking pregnant in the pictures and stuff…unless you want to wait until after the baby is born."

"If we wait, it's only going to get worse since I'll be getting fatter and fatter. It won't end well in the long run and I am not looking fat in my wedding dress." She poked him harshly. "The only thing I'll benefit from this, is that my boobs are going to look amazing."

"Your boobs already look amazing." He said with a smile, cupping her face with his hands and resting his forehead against hers.

She laughed, trying to give him an accusing look. But from this distance he probably couldn't tell. "You're such a horn dog."

"Only for you baby." He kissed her nose lightly, feeling happier than he had in what felt like years. "Only for you."

She smiled, actually giggling. "So…you want to take me home?"

"More than anything." He straightened, dropping his hands from her. "Do you have anything you need to get before we leave?"

She arched a delicate brown, setting her hands on her hips. "If you don't recall, I left with only the clothes on my back."

"Well, how am I supposed to know if you just went shopping or not and wanted to bring your new clothes? It has been a while, after all." He shrugged, smiling at her.

"I still have clothes here and I didn't really leave, so," she said simply, pushing him away from her so she could actually move. "Now let's go. I kinda miss my bed." She snickered, heading down the hall.

He followed her, grabbing her hand and holding it in his as they descended the steps together. "So, do we need to childproof the house? And should we make a nursery in one of the guest bedroom downstairs, as well as put a crib in our room so that we're not going back and forth in the middle of the night?" he asked, not entirely sure how to deal with a pregnant woman, or even a child.

"Whoa, slow down…we still have a long time to worry about anything like that. Besides, I don't even know if it's a boy or girl." She smiled, "But it will give us some time to actually get to know each other more in a non-hostile environment."

"Sorry, I just want to be prepared." He said, holding the front door open for her. "Speaking of boy or girl, do you want to know the gender? Or should we be surprised?" he asked, walking her to the car and holding that door open for her as well.

She rolled her eyes, giving him an annoyed glance. "Akito. Just relax. Ok? We've got about eight months till this baby comes. It's been almost a month since I've seen you and I don't want to be bombarded by questions." She pat his arm before sliding in.

He walked around and got in on his side, smiling at her as he started the engine. "Sorry. I'm just really excited but nervous at the same time." He paused before buckling, and looked at her. Then he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I really missed you." He said, grabbing onto his seatbelt.

"I know." She said, looking out the window. "I, uh…missed you too…" she paused, gripping nervously onto her knees.

He smiled at her and put the car in drive, pulling out of her parent's drive way and heading back to their home. "So…um…how have you been?" he asked, glancing at her as they turned onto the highway.

She shrugged. "Fine. I've just been reading books. I freaked out when I missed my period and after a couple days I took a test and when it said positive I went to the gynecologist to make sure. But I'm pregnant." She sighed, touching her stomach. "I was angry at first. I didn't want it…but then, I thought it was best if it didn't come out…since well…" she sighed. _Since we don't love each other_, she finished in her head. "Anyways it was pretty crazy after that. I went to the clinic, but I couldn't do it. And then you showed up and yelled at me a lot. So that's about it." She laughed, but it was humorless.

"Oh." He said softly. "Well, the house seems incredibly empty without you in it. I've been burying myself in taking over the company to try and not think about all of my mistakes concerning you, and I can't really sleep at night, so I just do yoga by myself when it gets bad. I think I'm getting pretty good at it."

She almost burst into laughter and leaned against the door, smirking. "Yeah I seriously doubt that."

"Well," he pouted, although his small smile gave him away. "It's definitely made me a bit more flexible though. Want me to show you how much when we get home?" he wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"We'll see." She said, glancing over at him. "Remember I'm pregnant now, so you're going to have to be more gentle and nice and cater to my every need." She snickered. "Oh this is going to be fun."

He chuckled. "You never know, maybe I enjoy taking care of you."

"You say that now," she pointed out. "But wait until I get cravings at the odd hours of the morning."

This made him grimace slightly. "Well, we'll just deal with that when it happens." He said, pulling into their neighborhood and then parking in front of the house. "Welcome home." He said, turning off the car.

"Ah, finally." She smiled, getting out of the passenger's seat. "Well I'm going to take a shower. Then you can show me just how 'good' your yoga has gotten." She snickered, walking ahead of him and into the house.

He sighed, handing his keys to the valet as he followed her inside. "I see Miss Natsumi has returned to us." Henry commented, shutting the door behind his employer.

"Yes, she's finally come home." Akito said, watching her go up the stairs.


	15. Fatality

**Contract**

_Chapter Fifteen_

-Fatality-

"Natsumi, will you hurry up? We're going to be late for your doctor's appointment!" Akito yelled, standing next to the front door.

It had been two weeks since she'd moved back in with him, and although he was happy, it was short-lived. The cravings he didn't mind, the mood swings were bearable, but it took her forever to get dressed. The fact that she was pregnant and was supposed to have a slight baby bump seemed to have escaped her, because it took her forever to pick out something to wear, since she still wanted to look slim.

He had tried to explain that all Uchiha babies grew really quickly, and were a bit larger than normal, but she didn't care. According to her, she shouldn't look like this until she was three months pregnant, not two. So, like the idiot he is, he suggested that perhaps it was because she was eating so much more now, since she had to feed the baby as well. This resulted in her accusing him of calling her fat, to which there was a big argument over.

So far, the only good thing about her being pregnant was that her sexual appetite had increased, and she wanted to experiment with him often. And quite honestly, she was a lot naughtier in bed then she let on.

But now they were scheduled to go to the something-or-other-ologist to check on the baby and get a sonogram, and she was making them late. Akito hated being late. "Natsumi, if you don't get your cute butt down here in the next five seconds I'm going to come up there and carry you out the door!" he threatened.

She appeared at the top of the steps, wearing a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, with knee high black boots. "I don't think you'd be able to since I'm so _fat_ now!" she snapped, grabbing her purse from him that he had so graciously held for her. "Let's go." She huffed, walking out the door.

He sighed, following her out to his car. "You're not fat honey. You can't even tell that you're pregnant unless you look really hard." He said, getting in the car and starting the engine.

"So you can tell that I'm fat?" she glared, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, I can't tell that you're fat, because you aren't." he said, waiting for her to buckle up before pulling out into the neighborhood. "What are you going to do when you're seven months pregnant? Complain about being a whale?" he asked rhetorically.

Her jaw dropped as he pulled away. "A whale? I'm not going to be a whale!"

"It was a joke Natsumi, a joke. Did your sense of humor just fly out the window the minute we left the house or something?" he asked, looking over at her as he drove down the street and towards the hospital where the doctor's office was located.

"I'm hungry." She whined, pouting as she leaned back in her seat. "Can we stop at McDonalds on the way? I really want some French fries."

He sighed once more. "We don't have time to stop at McDonalds, we're late enough as it is. When the appointment is over we can, how does that sound?"

"No! I'm hungry now and who knows how long we will have to wait!" she snapped, leaning a bit forward. "It's right up ahead and on the way. Just go to the drive through."

"We'll just have to wait longer the later we are you know." He warned, although he got in the lane necessary to turn into the McDonalds.

"But at least I won't be hungry and you won't have to hear me bitch the whole time. Even _I_ don't want to go through that." She sighed, resting her elbow on the door and then her chin on her palm.

"True." He pulled into the drive through for the McDonalds and ordered her some large French fries. When they got them he handed them to her without looking and then pulled back out into the traffic, waiting so that he could do a U-turn. "Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you found something else to bitch about. You have an uncanny talent for finding things that bother you." He said, keeping an eye out for an opening.

"Excuse me?" she sat forward, a French fry in her mouth. "I do not bitch about random things that don't deserve to be bitched about. I have a strong opinion!" she glared and then sat back, sulking. "Ugh! You're so infuriating sometimes."

"Yeah well so are you." He said, pulling out and beginning the U-turn. Just as he was doing that, a large truck came speeding out of the parking lot of the Wal-Mart across the way, and was going to hit the passenger side of their car. "Natsumi!" Akito shouted reacting quickly. His right arm shot out and he placed his hand over her stomach, while his left spun the car, so that his side was the one to get hit.

The car was pushed back a few feet, and Akito's head hit the top of the steering wheel as he was jostled roughly from the impact of the truck hitting the front of the car and part of his door. Natsumi went wide eyed, her face smacking right against the air bag. She groaned and moved back a bit. "Akito?" she looked over, seeing him, unmoving against his now filled air bag.

She reached over, touching his arm gently. "Akito, say something." She frowned, glancing up and going wide eyed. "Akito!" she screamed, as another car slammed into the side of the front. Spinning them around, before the car slammed into a nearby building. When it finally stopped, Natsumi tried to sit up, grabbing her throbbing arm. She pulled her hand back and stared down at the crimson liquid staining her hand. She looked over at Akito, her eyes widening, "Oh my god!" she screamed, seeing the red that was staining his shirt.

She struggled to get out of the seat and push the door open and when she finally did, she got out and hurried around to his side, pulling the door open and trying to get him out without further damage. "Akito!" she yelled, smacking his face to try and rouse him from his unconscious state. Finally, she was able to pull him out and laying him flat on his back, she could already hear the sirens and knew that someone had called the police. "Akito wake up!" she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. She opened his shirt and assessed the wound, holding her hand over the gash to at least stop the bleeding. He coughed, blood spurting out of his mouth a bit, but remained unconscious.

Natsumi went wide eyed. "No. No, no, no, no, no!" she screamed, leaning over him and carefully feeling his ribs with her finger tips. She froze, fear filling her entire body. She could feel the broken rib and the direction in which it had snapped. By then the ambulance had arrived and was already rushing over to them. But when they attempted to pull her away from him she smacked the man clear across the face. "Back off! And you listen to what I say! I'm a doctor, now be careful! He's got a broken rib puncturing his lung. We need to move fast and quickly!" she barked orders, standing and finally allowing them to move him, which they did more carefully now since they knew some of the status. She followed after them, ignoring the policeman who was trying to find out what had happened.

After telling him she would deal with that later, she climbed into the ambulance and sat beside Akito, monitoring his vitals since he was hooked up already. "Ma'am." One of the paramedics said, looking down her arm. "You're bleeding." He pointed.

She glanced down and grimaced. "Oh yeah." She offered her arm to him and he wrapped it quickly.

"If you don't mind me asking ma'am. Your name, you say you're a doctor but-"

"My name is Dr. Sabaku no Natsumi." She said sharply, making him lean back in shock.

"But you're so…"

"Young?" she arched a delicate brow and then turned her attention back to Akito, holding his face gently and stroking his cheek. "You're going to be ok." She told him, leaning forward and resting her forehead on his. They arrived at the hospital shortly, and Natsumi followed them in, allowing the nurses to check him for anything else. Luckily, they were in the hospital her brother and her mother worked in, and she herself when she was actually in practice.

After he was stabilized they rushed him into an ER room, trying to page a specialist to come and see him. She headed towards the ER, being stopped by a nurse. "I'm sorry ma'am but no one but authorized personal…Natsumi?" she blinked, seeming in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"The patient is my fiancé, he was driving me to my OB appointment. Who is going to be operating on him?" she asked, not really wanting to go into conversation about the crash.

"Well…" the nurse frowned. "We can't get a hold of the other pulmonologists. So…we just have a general physician in there right now."

"Can I do it?" Natsumi said quickly.

"I'm sorry Dr. Natsumi…but you don't have privileges here anymore…since you quit."

"Look!" the pink haired woman snapped, glaring down at the smaller of the two. "I know that. But you know how good I am and he's my…I can't lose him and if someone doesn't get here fast he's going to die in one of the most painful ways a human being can die. I won't allow that."

They stared at one another for what seemed like forever, until the nurse sighed and looked around, grabbing Natsumi's wrist and pulling her off towards one of the changing rooms. "Just hurry." She nodded. Natsumi gave her an appreciative look and hurried into the room, finding a pair of pastel green scrubs that would fit her. When she was changed and slipped on some crocs she hurried out and into the emergency room, relieving the doctor who looked grateful.

"Dr. Natsumi?" a few of the assistants stared in awe, glancing at one another. She pulled on some gloves and then tied her mask, guarding her mouth and nose.

"Yeah, now let's get started before his lungs fill up and he suffocates." She ordered, holding out her hand. They nodded and got right into action, he had already been administrated drugs to numb all his senses so he wouldn't feel it even in his unconscious state. They placed a scalpel in her hand, slowly and very carefully, she cut open Akito's chest.

It had been a long time since she had seen someone's insides, but she didn't let that slow her down. She carefully probed his ribs, seeing she had been correct that one had punctured his lung. But there was one that was cracked as well. Other than that his ribs seemed fine, but the hole in his lung was atrocious. They first drained all the blood that had leaked in, before beginning the very delicate surgery of sewing his lungs back up. She made sure to take her time with the stitches, since they needed to be strong enough to hold together while his body healed and not dissolve too quickly.

It wasn't a fast process, but finally she finished with his lungs and then focused on his ribs, moving them slowly and snapping off the broken edge. He was lucky, since it wouldn't appear as if anything was missing when he was healed. When she was absolutely positive nothing else was wrong, they began the terrible task of sewing him back up so that he wouldn't scar. Medical care these days was just absolutely amazing.

"Dr. Natsumi. He has a minor concussion as well and it seems like whiplash. What do you want us to do?" one of the assistants asked.

"Once we're all done here, move him to a single room, one of the more expensive and luxurious ones. I want you to call my brother, since he's a chiropractor, he'll know what to do about the whiplash. The concussion he's going to just have to come out of on his own, though luckily it doesn't look like he's bleeding from his head. And he's not in a coma, so it shouldn't be too bad." She said, stepping back and examining her work. When she was satisfied she pulled off her gloves and tossed them in the special trash.

They took him out of the room then and she sighed, looking around the emergency room and then down at herself. There were a few blood splatters on her scrubs but that was to be expected. She walked out and felt her stomach grumble. How could she possibly be hungry again? With a fortifying sigh, she pulled down her mask and went to the cafeteria to get something for her precious cargo. Considering how much she found herself eating, she bet anything her baby was going to be a boy.

When her hunger was satisfied for the time being she went up to visit Akito, wondering if he had made any progress waking up or not. She stepped out of the elevator, looking around the floor and asking one of the helpers where he was staying. After getting the room number she hurried down the hall, seeing her brother walk out of the room. "Toshiro!" she blinked. That was fast. "How is he?"

The redhead turned, taking in his sister's appearance and smiled softly before meeting her worried gaze. "He's going to be fine. His whiplash is going to go away nicely, you'll just need to rub his neck every night for the next week or so. They've got him hooked up to like three pain killers. Though I'm sure he needs it…did you do his lung surgery?"

She looked off and rubbed the back of her head, "Well there was no one else here and I just…" she stopped when he held up his hand, signaling for her to stop.

"Nice to have you back sis." He smirked, walking past her, patting her shoulder. She looked after him and smiled, grabbing the handle of the hospital door and pushing into the room. She closed the door and walked in, seeing Akito still asleep, the only sound being the monitors he was hooked up to. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and watched him, reaching her hand forward and taking his in her own, rubbing his skin with her thumb.

"You're going to be ok sweetie…I fixed you up perfectly. I promise." She whispered to him, her grip tightening slightly.

Akito groaned softly, causing Natsumi's eyes to widen. "Akito?" she asked, feeling her hope rising.

"I think I'm dying. I can't feel my body." He said, his voice hoarse. He turned his head and looked at her. "And my vision is blurry." She got up and sat on the edge of his bed, keeping her grip on his hand.

"No baby, you're not dying," she smiled, running her free hand through his dark locks. "You're just pumped with pain killers." She laughed.

"Oh." He looked at her stomach then. "How are you two doing?" he asked, meaning both her and their child.

"We're fine." She said, touching her hand to the area he was staring. "We're perfectly fine. He was protected by his daddy." She said softly, pressing her forehead against his and nuzzling him lovingly.

"It's a boy?" he asked, awe filling his voice as his unfocused eyes met hers.

She laughed, "Well there has to be a logical reason as to why I'm so hungry _all_ the time." She snickered, stroking his face once more. "How are you feeling? Does anything feel wrong?"

"I can't feel anything, remember?" he smirked lazily. It fell off his face, only to be replaced with sadness. "I'm sorry, I put you and the baby in danger. I'm a terrible father."

She frowned, sadness overwhelming her. "No, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you and ate after. This is all my fault."

"No." he tried to shake his head, but only managed to make it roll a bit, and the action caused him to wince. "I was the one who was driving, not you. I should have been paying better attention." His gaze went to her arm, seeing the bandage. "I couldn't even protect you good enough."

"You did. There was a second hit, you were already unconscious. But I'm fine. It's nothing, it was a small cut and nothing more." She assured him. "Now you need to rest, you just went through major surgery."

He sighed, but nodded. "Okay." He said, closing his eyes. After a few seconds he shifted slightly. "Natsumi…I love you." He mumbled before falling back into unconsciousness. Natsumi just stared at him, unable to move from her position. Had he really just said what she thought she heard?

"I love you too Akito." She breathed out, lowering her head and kissing him softly. She got off the bed and sat back down in the chair, watching him patiently. She wanted him to get some rest and then felt herself getting somewhat sleepy. She pulled her feet up and leaned back, resting her head on the arm of the chair, shutting her eyes and letting herself drift off.

* * *

><p>The next day, Akito looked around the hospital room in confusion. He didn't really remember anything, other than trying to protect Natsumi and their baby. After that it was all just a complete blank. Seeing Natsumi asleep in a chair next to his bed, he frowned. Attempting to sit up, he felt a searing pain in the side of his chest and let out a yelp in surprise. He lay back down and let out a sigh, trying to ignore the pain he was in.<p>

Looking back over at his sleeping fiancé, he took in her appearance, seeing that she was wearing a pair of mint green scrubs, a few blood splotches in the top. He smiled slightly, realizing that she must have been the one to take care of him. A sense of warmth spread through him at the fact that she had gone back to work for him. It let him know that she really did care for him, since she never voiced that she did.

"Natsumi." He said in an attempt to get her to wake up, but she didn't rouse from her sleep. She was completely exhausted from waking up every hour to make sure he was ok and that his stitches weren't reopening.

Sighing once more, he picked up the tiny red button and pressed it, calling for a nurse. Instead, Sakura walked in, smiling at him. "Oh Akito, you're finally awake." She said softly, not wanting to disturb her daughter. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." He said. "Can I get some more morphine or something?" he asked.

Sakura chuckled. "Yes. It's about time for your next dose anyways." She moved to his IV and checked it before taking out a container of a clear liquid, which he assumed was morphine, and hooking some of it up. "Now, don't try and move around too much. You have a minor concussion, a cracked rib, and one of your ribs punctured a lung, so not only do you have stitches on the lung, but also over the incision as well." She informed him, putting away the container when she was done.

He frowned slightly. "How long is it going to take me to recover?" he asked.

She looked down at him. "The concussion shouldn't take too long, and neither should the whiplash. Your ribs, however, will take up to four months of healing. During that time you aren't to lift heavy objects, bend over, or strain your body with exercise. You can lift weights, but only light ones, and no yoga."

"Damn." He sighed once more, thinking of how dull his life was going to be, and of how dependent he'd be on not only Natsumi, but the servants as well. And he didn't want to cause Natsumi too much trouble, as she was dealing with her pregnancy.

Taking sympathy on him, Sakura pat his leg. "It won't be too bad. Not with Natsumi watching over you. Speaking of which." She walked over to where her daughter was resting. She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her slightly, making her jolt awake. "Natsumi, dear, do you want me to get you a spare bed?" she asked in a motherly tone.

The younger pink haired woman blinked, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Huh?" she asked, not fully grasping the words. "Oh no, I'm fine." She nodded and sat up, yawning.

"Okay. Your patient is awake." She said, moving out of the way so that she could get out of the chair. She glanced over and got up immediately seeing that Akito was awake.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her eyes scanning his body.

"Better now that I have more pain meds." He said. He moved the hand that had the IV attached to it and stroked her cheek. "I'm glad you're okay."

She placed her hand over his and kept it against her skin, "I'm fine. You should be worrying about yourself, you really took a number on your body."

He snorted, shaking his head with a slight smile. "Nah, I'll survive. The important thing is that you and the baby are alright." His brow furrowed slightly. "What happened after I was knocked unconscious?" he asked.

She sighed and scratched at her head. "Well I had to pull you out of the car then we were in the ambulance, we got to the hospital and you were sent to the ER, and it must have been in the middle of a shift cause there were no specialists in the hospital and blood was pooling into your lungs, but you got your surgery." She smiled, glancing down at him then. "And then you were put in a room to recover. Toshiro came and fixed your whiplash and then you woke up for a bit and-" she froze, going slightly wide eyed.

"And what?" he asked.

"And…you um…" she blushed slightly, but quickly controlled her facial features. "You asked if I was ok and I told you I was and then you passed out."

"Oh, okay." He said, lowering his hand and placing it back on the bed. "When can we go home."

"Not for a while." Sakura spoke up, checking over his chart and signing off on a few papers. "We need to monitor for at least another day. Besides, don't you want to let everyone come visit you and see how you're doing?" she asked with a smile.

Akito's eyes widened. "Do you want me to suffer from heart problems on top of everything else?" he asked in mortification.

The elder medic laughed and then headed for the door. "I'll leave him in your hands dear. I have some other patients to see to this morning." She said with a wave, leaving the room.

Akito looked back at Natsumi. "Seriously though, I don't want a bunch of people visiting me. They'll hover over my bed and constantly ask me how I'm feeling, or comment on how lucky we are that it isn't worse, and yada yada yada." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"Uh well," she laughed awkwardly, scratching at her cheek. "About that…" she trailed off as the door burst open and Toshiro and Minako came in, holding flowers and balloons.

"Akito!" Toshiro smiled, setting the flowers down and tying the balloons to his bed, finally giving him the bear he bought that had a little 'Get Well Soon' t-shirt. "How are you feeling today? Heard you were in quite an accident." Then Naruto and Hinata came in, followed by the two people he lasted expected to see in the room. Sasuke and Gaara.

The two elder men smirked and held a poster together. "We thought you might need this Akito." Gaara said, as Sasuke pulled the rubber band off. It was a poster of a kitten hanging onto a branch and in bright yellow letters it said 'Hang in There'.

He let out a groan. "Please kill me." He said.

"Now, now Akito." Minako wagged her finger at him. "You could have died yesterday, so don't go being ungrateful. We brought you all this stuff to cheer you up!" she smiled brightly.

Naruto came forward then. "I brought you some take out." He lifted the large bag in his hands. "So that you don't have to eat the horrible hospital food. Aren't I a genius?" he asked, looking around at everyone.

Akito deadpanned. "If it's ramen, I'm going to throttle you."

"Uh…" the blonde man said, smile disappearing from his face. "No, it's…um…noodles. Yup, noodles." He nodded. Akito just rolled his eyes.

"Thank you Naruto, but I am perfectly capable of taking care of Akito's needs." Natsumi waved him off, saving him from the horrid torture of processed instant noodles.

Gaara sighed and glanced at Sasuke, returning his impassive gaze to Akito. "Well it sure sucks, because now Toshiro and I are going to have to help out with Natsumi. What a time to get injured when your wife is pregnant. You're not going to be able to do _anything_ she needs."

"Dad!" Natsumi went wide eyed, sending him a glare.

"What?" he frowned. "It's true. Since he'll be bed ridden for another month or so, not to mention he can't really do anything manual."

"And now I have to stay at the office longer instead of retiring the way I wanted to." Sasuke said. "You are completely useless." He sighed.

From his spot on the bed, Akito could only look at the ceiling and begin a series of deep breaths, pretending he was doing yoga. Maybe if he just did this the whole time everyone would go away. "Get out." Natsumi said darkly, glaring over at the two, but talking to everyone.

Both Gaara and Sasuke looked to her, slightly surprised. "I'm sorry what?" her father asked.

"I said get out and I meant now." She seethed.

Toshiro frowned and took hold of Minako's hand. "Get better Akito, call if you need anything." He waved and they left, followed by Hinata and Naruto. Gaara just rolled his eyes and headed out, soon after Sasuke did as well without a word. Natsumi sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed and curled up next to him.

"I'm sorry sweetheart." She said, stroking his cheek.

"It's fine." He said, wrapping his arm around her as best he could. "I'm used to hearing that from him, so it isn't a bother at all." He rubbed her arm lightly.

That knowledge didn't make her feel better. She sat up and kissed his forehead, remaining close to him. "I'm going to go grab you something to eat. Ok?"

"Okay." He gave her a small smile. "Looks like we finally get to play doctor." He joked.

She laughed and pulled away from him, getting up and heading towards the door. "Honey, if we were _really_ playing doctor, I'd be in a lot less clothing and your problem area would be a lot lower." She smirked, blowing him a kiss. "I'll get you something yummy." She winked before leaving.

He chuckled to himself before looking back up at the ceiling and letting out a sigh. The next few weeks were going to be hell. He would still try and work from home, after all, not everything had to be done in person, and his father could handle that stuff. But to not even be able to take care of his pregnant fiancé, that upset him the most. His brow furrowed slightly.

For some reason, he felt like he had said something important to Natsumi in his drugged state, but he couldn't think what. Shrugging slightly and figuring that if it was that important he'd remember it later, he got comfortable and waited for her to return with his food.


	16. Press Release

**Contract**

_Chapter Sixteen_

-Press Release-

Akito stared broadly at the TV screen, not really paying attention to what was playing. Natsumi had had one moved into their bedroom so that he would have something to do, since he was still on bed rest. He felt like he was slowly going insane. It had been two weeks since the accident, and he was only allowed to get out of bed to use the bathroom and bathe. Though, he wasn't even allowed to bathe on his own. Natsumi insisted supervising it, just in case he fell, or needed help. So, being the smart ass he was, he said that unless she was going to join him and relieve any of his stress, that she should just go away. And, surprisingly enough, she joined him, giving him a _very_ hands on experience on how a doctor would bathe their patients and whatnot.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her help or care or anything, he just hated having to depend on her when it should be the other way around. He felt like he wasn't doing his job as a caretaker and provider if he couldn't even help her out with the pregnancy. She had already started remodeling one of the guest bedrooms downstairs for a nursery, and he was sure Minako was already planning the baby shower.

They were going to be married in a little over a week, since by then he would be allowed to stand and walk around. After that they were just going to stay at a nice resort in the area for a few more weeks, since he wasn't allowed to travel. He was disappointed that they couldn't go on their planned trip to Italy, but he promised Natsumi that they would go a while after the baby was born, as a family vacation. She seemed to perk up at that idea, and had started rambling about all the fun family things they could do. The fact that their child wouldn't even remember it didn't seem to bother her, so he let her be happy.

Currently she was out shopping and running a few errands, and so idly he turned his attention back to the TV and began to flip though the channels. Coming upon one that seemed to have the news on it, he stopped, figuring that it would be good to stay up with the current events. His eyes widened when a picture of him and Natsumi appeared on the screen. It had been taken when they'd gone out to look at the final details for their wedding, only a few days before the crash. He turned up the volume, wanting to hear what the news reporter was saying.

'_And in recent news, the Uchiha-Sabaku wedding is still on. Surprisingly enough, Uchiha Akito is still going to marry Sabaku no Natsumi, a woman known for partying.'_ The woman said.

'_Well that's interesting. Isn't it rumored that she's pregnant with another man's child?'_ the male anchor asked, smiling to the camera as if he already knew the answer, which he probably did. Akito's grip on the remote tightened as he felt anger boil in him.

The woman smiled as well. _'Why yes it is. About a month ago she was seen entering this abortion clinic.' _At that the picture Ino had taken on her phone of Natsumi showed up, and Akito couldn't help but feel extreme hate for the woman he had never met before, but had nearly destroyed his life.

'_This was after the couple had split, which lasted for about a month, and apparently in that time, Natsumi proved herself to be a woman of quick rebound, managing to find another man to impregnate her. Then the young love birds got back together a few weeks ago, and the fact that she is carrying another man's child doesn't seem to bother Uchiha Akito.'_

'_Perhaps he doesn't know.'_ The man chuckled in a corny fashion, and Akito glowered at the screen.

'_I guess not Stan. It is reported that about two weeks ago they got into a fatal car accident, and miraculously Akito turned the car so the he took all the damage instead of Natsumi and the baby. I'd say that this is a courageous thing to do, but why protect something that isn't yours?'_ the woman asked, shuffling some papers on her desk.

The man looked back at the camera. _'Tune in later tonight at eight for the full story, along with eye witness accounts, and even pictures. I'm Stan Gable.'_

'_And I'm Norah Chekov.'_

'_And this, is Celebrity Ne-'_ Akito clicked off the TV throwing the remote down in disgust.

Honestly, did people not have anything better to do that they had to make up crap about other people's lives? Thinking about Natsumi, he decided to call her and make sure she was okay. With this on the television, there was no telling if she would be followed around by the press, paparazzi, or even worse, stalkers and angry fan girls. He picked up his phone, pressed a button on his speed dial, and put his phone next to his ear.

* * *

><p>Natsumi sat with her mother, outside in the garden area of one of her mother's favorite bistros. "So I was thinking that instead of cream we could go with pearl. You know since I think that will be more-" she paused hearing her phone go off and then dug through her purse. "Hold on a second mom, it might be Akito." Seeing the caller I.D she touched the accept button and held it to her ear. "Hi honey. You ok? Are you hurting? Do I need to come home?"<p>

'_No, Natsumi. I'm fine. I was actually calling to see how you were.'_ Akito's deep voice could be heard asking from the other end.

She laughed. "How I'm doing? I'm doing just fine. I'm eating lunch with my mom. Why is there something wrong?"

'_Well, I was watching the news, and you're never going to guess who the main topic of gossip is.'_ He asked, though it sounded as though he wasn't happy about it.

"Oh that?" she sighed, holding up her finger to tell her mother it wouldn't be long. "Yes I know about that. Is it bothering you? You know the baby is yours. You're the only man I've ever slept with."

'_I know that. I'm just worried that you'll be harassed while you're out today. If something happens, I want you to call me. There are some crazy people in this town, and I want to be sure that you're safe.'_ He said.

"I will. I promise. But what are they going to do? Go on a witch hunt?" she snickered. "I'll talk to you later, ok? Rest up and be careful not to do anything to stressful." she said in a sing song voice before hanging up.

"Things seem to be going quite nicely between you two lately." Sakura commented, giving her daughter a knowing smile from across the table.

Natsumi smiled back and took a bite of her salad. "Well it really helps that we're having a baby I think. After that he's been nothing but doting and caring. Though I really think it's getting on his nerves that he can't do anything." She sighed.

"That's perfectly natural." The elder woman said, returning to her meal. "During a pregnancy the woman becomes more maternal, and the man becomes more protective and caring. Well, usually anyways." She said. "I'm just happy you two are getting along. Tell me dear, do you care for him in any way? Because I don't want you to be unhappy for the rest of your life and feel you have to stay with him just because you're having his child." A concerned look came to her face then.

A dark blush rose on her cheeks as he poked around her salad. "Well I dunno…I mean I like him I guess. After all I had sex with him, didn't I? And you know….a doctor and a lawyer. It's a good match, especially if it helps everyone else and he's cute and supportive and a good man to marry."

Sakura sighed, but gave her daughter a small smile. "Does he make you happy? Would you be content to live with him for the rest of your life?"

"He does make me happy," she nodded and looked up, seeing a small group of people, holding cameras. She tore her gaze from them and tried to focus back on her mother. "Why do people make up stories about other people?"

"Because their lives are extremely dull, and they are such extreme losers that they think following around someone else will make them cool." Sakura said, glancing over at the group of people before turning back to Natsumi. "Reminds me of when I dated Sasuke." She shook her head.

Natsumi just sighed and shook her head. "I didn't want Akito to worry, but those freaks have been following me around for almost a week now. They won't stop asking me whose baby it is and when I tell them that it's Akito's they don't believe me and want me to get a paternity test." She frowned. "It's just so overwhelming cause they're everywhere."

"Honey, if you want, I can just run your errands for you. It's no problem, and that way you can stay home and be with Akito." She reached across the table and placed her hand over her daughter's. "Sometimes it's best to disappear for a while. And with the wedding coming up, you should be relaxing and enjoying yourself."

"If you don't mind. I should be checking on him soon anyways." She smiled and got up, kissing her mother on the cheek. "I'll see you later mom." She waved and grabbed her purse, heading out of the restaurant. She handed her ticket to the valet and waited as he ran off to get her car. She checked her nails out of boredom, before pulling out her phone and running through her to-do list before texting it to her mother.

"So." A voice said from beside her. She blinked and glanced to the side seeing a familiar reporter. She frowned and pretended to be more interested in her phone than him. Talking to one of the scum bags who were bashing her was not something she wanted to do. "How's it feel to be the most famous classy whore in the city?" he asked.

Natsumi went wide eyed and glared over at him, needing to repress every urge in her body to strike this man across the face. Unfortunately the next words out of his mouth made her lose control. "I can't believe that a prestigious Uchiha is keeping a little tramp like you for a pretty little pet. Though I guess you probably satisfy him in bed to keep him ignorant to your floozy behavior." He smirked, but then went wide eyed as a fist connected right with his face, knocking at least two of his teeth out.

"You just shut the hell up!" she screamed, tears forming in her eyes. "I am not a floozy! Nor am I a whore! I've only slept with my fiancé and it's _his_ baby you jackass! And I'm going to sue all you for harassment!" she screamed, snatching her keys from the valet and getting in her car. She sped off, not caring that she was breaking the speed limit. She just needed to get home. She tried to wipe away the tears that were blurring her vision, since she didn't want to be a total emotional basket case while she was driving.

Finally she drove up and slammed on the breaks, trying to take a fortifying breath. She couldn't pretend anymore that what the press was saying about her wasn't bothering her. She just couldn't believe how horrible people could be. She got out and handed her keys to the valet, not bothering with a 'thank you' since her mind was elsewhere. Then she thought of Akito and decided she didn't want him to pick up on her inner dismay. So she slipped off her shoes and headed right out the back door and towards their private beach.

She just needed to sit in the sand and clear her mind so that she could appear fine in front of Akito. Because she really didn't want to worry him in his state.

* * *

><p>Akito lay there in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He wondered what was taking Natsumi so long. He had heard a car pull up in the driveway, but Henry didn't come up and inform that anyone had arrived or come by, so that could only mean that Natsumi was home.<p>

After a few more minutes he grew worried, and so, with a bit of difficulty, he sat up and stood. Slowly making his way out into the hall, he grasped the handrail and began to descend the stairs. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he finally made it downstairs after about ten minutes.

Seeing what his employer was doing, Henry rushed over to him. "Sir! You should be in bed. What would Miss Natsumi think?" he asked, trying to steady the younger man.

"Oh hush Henry. I am not such an invalid that I can't walk a few feet. Now where is Natsumi?" he asked, waving away the help.

"She is outback sir." The old man said, following Akito to make sure that he got there in one piece.

Slowly sliding open the door, he spotted her out on their private beach and began to walk towards her slowly. "Natsumi? What are you doing out here?" he asked when he came up to the sand, his voice a bit strained in his attempt to hide the pain he was feeling.

She glanced back, quickly wiping away at her face so he couldn't tell what she had been doing. "Akito! What are you doing up, you could really hurt yourself." She said, getting up quickly and hurrying over to him, feeling his chest to make sure nothing was getting swollen.

He ignored her questions, instead gently grasping her chin and raising her face towards him. Searching her eyes, he could see that they were slightly red. "You've been crying." He said.

"No." she said quickly, "I, uh, just got sand in my eyes and was trying to get it out."

He raised a brow at her. "What were you doing that would cause you to get sand in your eyes, hm?"

"I was sitting…and the wind picked up." She nodded. "And the sand got in my eyes."

He cupped her cheek with his hand and pressed his forehead against hers. "Is that so? Are you really not going to tell me what's bothering you? I already feel bad enough that I can't properly take care of you and the baby, at least let me try and make you feel better." He said. He knew it was a dirty tactic, to try and make her feel guilty, but he wanted to know what was wrong.

She frowned, feeling terrible. But it wouldn't do well to stress him out. "It's really nothing of consequence. I'll be fine."

"You know I'm going to continue to brood about it until you tell me." He said, rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

She closed her eyes, enjoying his caressing touch, but the action only made her cry more. "Everyone thinks I'm a whore…and I just can't…" she choked out, covering her mouth with her fingertips.

He frowned and pulled away slightly, cradling her face in both of his hands. "Hey." He said, getting her to look at him. "We both know that the baby is mine and that you haven't been with another man. That's all that matters, is that we know, and so does our family, okay?" he asked, getting a nod from her. He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the pain he felt in his chest at stretching the muscles a bit. "Besides, just think about how we can shove it in their faces when our son comes out looking like me." He smiled slightly as he rubbed her back.

She sighed, making sure she was careful in her embrace of him since she didn't want to cause him any more pain than he was causing himself. "You're right." She breathed out, pulling away and then getting on her tip toes and kissing him. "Now come on and relax. You shouldn't be up." She scolded, lacing her fingers with his and helping him back up to the house. "Oh…" she paused and looked up at him shyly. "There might be one…tiny problem…"

"What?" he asked worriedly, looking down at her.

"Well I kind of punched a reporter…" she laughed awkwardly looking off. "That's not too bad is it?"

He chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Not really, I'm sure he deserved it. Besides, if he tries to sue us, we can claim harassment and stuff." He smiled down at her. "Guess it's a good thing you're marrying a lawyer."

"Guess so." She snickered, sticking her hand in his back pocket. "So how about, we curl up in bed, put in a move and have Javier make us some popcorn."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day." He said, sliding open the door to the house. "By the way, are you free a week from tomorrow?" he asked.

She blinked and tapped her chin, "I think so. Just wedding stuff to plan out I think. Why?"

"Because I want to take you on a date." He said. "Would you be agreeable to such an activity?"

She arched a delicate brow and stared up at him, "Um yeah. But why did you word it so formally?

He just smiled at her. "Because I wanted to." They began to slowly ascend the stairs then. "We're going to stay at the house mind you, like our first date, but you should wear something a bit more formal."

"Formal?" she giggled. "Well alright, if you say so." She smiled, breaking from his grip and pulling him up the stairs faster. "Now let's just relax and fall asleep early tonight, still lots to do for the wedding tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am." He said, increasing his pace as he hobbled after her to their room. The rest of their day was spent in bed watching movies, and soon the young couple fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.


	17. Bliss

**Contract**

_Chapter Seventeen_

-Bliss-

Natsumi set the blow dryer down, having finished her hair. She raked a brush through it and moved some of her bangs from her eyes. She picked up her eyeliner and outlined her eyes, then put on some mascara. When she was finished she pulled up her strapless bra a bit and walked over to her closet. Akito had said to dress formal, but she didn't really understand why since they weren't leaving the house. Luckily, she hadn't gotten much bigger and was still pretty slim so she could wear a dress she had bought a couple weeks ago.

She stopped in the closet and pulled down the black evening gown. She unzipped the back and pulled on the skin tight dress. It was long and covered her feet, clinging to every curve of her body. She pulled it up and zipped it, making it fit snuggly around her chest. It had a sweetheart neckline where the black fabric twisted and over lapped over the top part of the dress.

The straps were thin and white and tied around her neck, attaching to the dress and continuing below her bust. She grabbed a pair of strappy black heels and walked into their bed room, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling them on. After putting in some diamond earrings and the necklace he had bought her she left the room and headed down the steps.

Akito met her at the foot of the steps, and was wearing a black tuxedo. He took her hand and kissed it, smiling at her. "You look stunning." He said.

She blushed a bit, taking in his appearance. "Thanks, so what's for dinner?" she asked curiously, taking a step towards the dining room.

He placed his hand on her back and steered her towards the back patio. "Well, I had Javier make us some lobster, and some pasta, and a salad, and a few vegetables, since I want to be sure that you and the baby get plenty of nutrition."

"Oh ok." She blinked, looking forward and walking out onto the patio as he held the door open for her. She gasped when she saw what he had done.

The pond and swimming pool had tons of candles floating on them, along with many beautiful lilies. The small dining area was decorated with hanging Chinese lanterns, and the table was set up with their meal, along with two candles, giving it a romantic setting. The stereo had been moved outside, and some beautiful violin music was playing, adding to the atmosphere. Sprinkled over the entire area were red and white rose petals, making a trail from the doorway to the table where they were to dine.

"Do you like it?" he asked in her ear, placing his hand at her waist.

She looked around, taking in everything once more. "It's…it's so beautiful." She looked back up at him, turning around in his hold, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him lovingly. He cupped her cheek and returned her kiss, smiling down at her when they parted.

"Let's go eat." He said, leading her over to the table and pulling her chair out for her. He had taken a few extra pain pills so that he wouldn't feel tense for their date, although his pain had decreased quite a bit since the accident. Once she was seated, he walked over to his own place and sat down.

"It all looks so yummy." She smiled, digging in, since she was twice as hungry. And everything was just as delicious as it looked.

He smiled at her and ate as well, just enjoying being in her company. After they had eaten for a while, Akito stood and walked over to her seat. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.

She blinked and glanced up at him, blushing slightly. It was a bit odd, but very sweet. "Ok." She said, placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her up along with him.

He brought her close and placed his hand on her lower back, swaying along to the rhythm. He couldn't dance as well as normal, since he still had to baby his wounds, but he was going to try. Spinning her, he smiled when she came back to him. "You know, when we first got engaged, I was unsure about you." He said.

"Oh really?" she smirked, "I couldn't tell."

He chuckled. "Yes, well, I am now." He stopped dancing then, and gave her a serious look. "Natsumi, we've been through a lot together, and when I look back, there isn't another woman I would want to go through hard times with, unless it's you." He grimaced as he knelt in front of her, but smiled up at her stunned face. "I know this marriage was arranged for us by our parents, but I'm asking you for me now." He took out a familiar black velvet bow, and opened it, revealing an empty box. "Will you, Sabaku no Natsumi, marry me?" he asked.

She couldn't find her voice, but her face turned a dark red and she swallowed hard. Why was it so mind blowing to see him like this? They were going to get married anyway. But this…was just unbelievable. "Of course…" she breathed out, finally smiling. "I want nothing more than to marry you."

He stood then, a huge smile on his face. Cupping her face, he kissed her sweetly. "I love you." He murmured against her lips, holding her to him. She gripped tightly onto the lapels of his jacket and deepened their kiss.

"I love you too." She smiled.

He stroked her cheek, gazing upon her lovingly. "So, do you want to eat the dessert I had planned, or just go upstairs and conclude our date?" he asked. "Because I have plans for that too." An easy smile came to his face then.

"Sweetheart." She snickered, touching his lips with her fingertips. "Sex is going to be hard with you so delicate and me pregnant."

"Not if you're on top and go really, really slow." He gave her a suggestive look. "It may be a bit torturous, but the end result will be amazing."

"Sounds fun," she purred, giving him another peck. "Why don't you let me run upstairs and get ready for you." She whispered into his ear, pressing against him.

"Mmm." He said, nuzzling her. "It'll take me that long to get upstairs anyways, so go right on ahead. I will tell Henry that his services are no longer needed tonight." He bit her lightly.

She kissed him once more and then hurried back into the house, stopping and taking off her heels and picking up her dress before disappearing inside. Watching her leave, he walked over and blew out the candles on the table, knowing that the ones in the pool and pond would burn out on their own. Then he turned and made his way towards the house. He smiled to himself then, knowing that after this night, the rest of his life with Natsumi was going to be similar to living in heaven.

**THE END. =)**


End file.
